Freeze-It Felix Jr
by MaterLisa
Summary: Have you ever wondered why Felix always wears gloves, even when he's not working? It's because he's trying to conceal, not feel. No-one knows the truth until he accidentally sets off an eternal winter in every game. It's up to Ralph to save the arcade - and his brother. Teaming up with Calhoun, Vanellope and a snowy new friend, Ralph has a massive task on his massive hands.
1. Chapter 1: A Bit of Backstory

**Author's Note: My exams are over, and do you know what that means? More time for fanfiction! Yes, I know I've got another story going, but I have a lot of ideas for other tales and I just want to get them out there before someone else does. I hope you like this story! :) You may notice some similarities to another Disney film . . . (Note that this is not a Crossover story because no characters from that other film are in here). **

Chapter One: A Bit of Backstory

One evening, Felix Junior was sitting at his desk, head in hands, staring down at the piece of paper in front of him. It was completely blank, save for a Math question in black ink at the top. He had been staring at this piece of paper for a good ten minutes now, and still he had no idea how to go about answering the question. No eight-year-old could have been able to do it.

As Felix was lost in his thoughts, the door creaked open. Ralph, Felix's younger brother by only a year and a month, poked his head into the bedroom. "Hey," he said.

"Hey," Felix replied, looking up.

Ralph walked over and lifted up the question paper. "You stuck or something?" he asked.

"I guess."

Ralph stood there for a few moments more – and without a word tore the paper in half.

Felix gasped. "Ralph!" he yelped. "You can't tear up someone else's homework!"

"_Au contraire_, Felix," Ralph said, proudly smiling at having thrown in a French phrase there. He let the two halves float to the floor. "I just did."

Felix just stared at him, open-mouthed.

"Look, it's a stupid question," Ralph explained. "So why waste your time on it? Let's do something fun!"

"But I've still got that Science paper-"

"-Which isn't due in until next Tuesday," Ralph interrupted. "Come on, Felix! What do you wanna do?"

"Homework," muttered Felix. He turned away from Ralph and began to sharpen a pencil.

"Aw, I don't believe you! What's fun around here? Do you wanna play outside?" Ralph asked.

Felix didn't reply.

"Okay, do you wanna play inside?"

Felix continued to sharpen his pencil.

Ralph suddenly leaned in close to Felix's ear. He whispered, "Do you wanna build a snowman?"

That got Felix's attention. The pencil broke in the sharpener. He leapt up and the boys ran to fetch their bikes, laughing as they did so.

. . .

The Great Field, as Ralph liked to call it, was just on the edge of the town of Niceland. The grass was always green and the field itself was wide, edged with pretty square-shaped trees. Because it was quite close to a trash pile, few people in Niceland wanted to even have a picnic there. Ralph and Felix both knew that they had this place all to themselves.

Right in the middle of the Great Field was a short tree stump. Felix stood on it and sniggered. "Are you ready?" he asked Ralph.

"Yes!" cried Ralph, who was hopping around the stump, unable to stand still for even a second. "Do the magic, do the magic, do the magic!" he chanted.

Felix beckoned Ralph closer. Snowflakes danced between his palms, forming a tiny snowball. As it grew, Ralph watched with ever-wider eyes. When Felix finally threw the ball into the air, snow burst out and flurried around the field.

Yes, here was a boy who could make snow and ice, even in summer!

The snowflakes fluttered down, much to Ralph's excitement. He leapt through the ice crystals whooping with joy. "This is awesome!" he never stopped saying.

The happy sight brought a massive grin to Felix's face. With a wave of an arm and a twirl of a hand, he summoned more of his icy powers. Soon the whole of the Great Field was blanketed with fluffy snow. When Felix stamped his foot, ice swept down the stump and across the ground.

Together, the brothers set to work building a snowman. Ralph did his best to roll out the body, but it was still a little misshapen. Felix just had to point a finger to make a head appear on top. As a finishing touch, Ralph presented a carrot (swiped from the freezer at home) and shoved it into the snowman's face.

"Neat, huh?" Ralph said, looking at their lopsided creation.

"Definitely," Felix replied.

Felix's next move was to build a swooping, icy slide. Ralph clambered up the snowy steps to the top, and then sped down on his stomach. When he soared above the curve, Felix made another slide ready to catch him. Ralph gained speed and was tossed into the air again. Felix had to work to make more slides and keep up with Ralph as he flew across the Great Field.

"Slow down," Felix begged at one point. "You're going too fast!"

But Ralph probably didn't hear above his cries of "Again, again!" He was too busy jumping and sliding to sense the fear. Felix raised his arms to make another slide, but his foot suddenly slipped on a patch of ice. Felix stumbled, still making magic. The frozen blast split mid-air and slammed into Ralph's hands.

Ralph yelled "Ow!" and fell to the ground, unconscious.

"Ralph!" Felix shouted, running to his side. He lifted Ralph up and felt him shivering. Ralph's hands were covered with frost, and the rest of his body turned cold and stiffened.

When Ralph stopped shivering, and when Felix stopped feeling any warmth in his breaths, Felix knew he had to get Ralph home. The Great Field filled with frightening ice spikes.

. . .

Felix Senior had pulled up on the driveway expecting to come home to a happy home and a nice hot meal. He had certainly not bargained for a hysterical Felix Junior sitting in a patch of snow and crying over Ralph, who had – was that _ice_ on his fingers?

"Felix, this is getting out of hand," his father started.

"I didn't mean to!" Felix wailed. He wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. "It just . . . happened. I'm sorry."

His mother emerged in the doorway. "He's too cold. What do we do?" she asked. "The hospital is miles away."

Felix Senior thought for a moment. "I know where we can go," he announced. "Come on, hop in!"

Everyone climbed into his car – well, Ralph had to be carried to his seat, still being unconscious – and Felix Senior grabbed a map. Flicking through quickly, he finally found the page with the red sticker. "Got it!" He stomped on the pedal. The car reversed out sharply, and they were off.

. . .

Felix's best friend, Gene Trollman, had a pretty crazy dad. His workplace was the back garden, which was full of moss-covered rocks. Felix sidestepped around them in awe. Dream catchers dangled from trees, and multi-coloured beads adorned the house. From what Felix had heard in the playground, Mr Trollman claimed to have knowledge of magical healing spells passed on from a colony of trolls. Whether this was true or not was unknown, but Gene insisted that it had worked before; surely it could work again for Ralph?

In the centre of the lawn, sitting on the biggest stone of all, was Mr Trollman himself. His robes were the same shade of green as the moss that surrounded him. Gene ran over and perched on a boulder next to him, holding a small box. "Hi, Felix!" he said.

Felix could only managed a quick "Hi" before his father launched into an explanation.

"We need your help!" he begged. "It's Ralph here. . ."

He let Mr Trollman hold Ralph in his lap. Gently, Gene leaned over to touch Ralph's hands and pulled away, shuddering. Pointing at Felix, Mr Trollman asked, "Born with his powers or cursed?"

"Born with them," his mother replied. "And they're getting stronger." Her voice cracked at the end of her sentence.

Mr Trollman looked closely at Ralph's hands. "You're lucky it wasn't his heart," he said, talking directly to Felix this time. "The heart is not so easily healed. But the hands can be helped along."

"Just do what you have to do," said Felix Senior.

"Gene?" Mr Trollman stretched an arm towards the box. "The red ones?"

Gene lifted the lid, found two flame-red crystals and handed them over. Mr Trollman enclosed one in Ralph's clasped hands and held the other up to his head. "I recommend removing all magic from his body," he explained, "even memories of seeing magic, just to be safe."

A glowing blue energy was pulled out of Ralph's head. Felix saw Ralph's memories floating above as a series of pictures. Every time he made it snow, every time he covered the world in ice – when those pictures appeared, they faded into nothing. All that was left behind was the vision of Felix and Ralph playing in the snow. How the snowflakes had got there in the first place had been conveniently forgotten.

As the memories returned to Ralph's head, his hands thawed. But something else was happening. They weren't just thawing; they were glowing, growing, expanding until they outsized his face!

"Oh my land," Felix Senior muttered.

"An unavoidable side-effect, I'm afraid," said Mr Trollman. He returned the now-white crystals to the box and placed Ralph back in Felix Senior's arms. "Don't worry. I've left the good times. He'll be fine."

"But he'll have big hands for the rest of his life?" asked Felix's mother.

"Big, _strong_ hands," said Mr Trollman. "That could be very useful to someone. You never know."

"And he won't remember my powers?" Felix Junior asked tentatively.

Mr Trollman sighed. "Felix, you have a great gift. Your powers will only grow as you grow."

As he spoke, he conjured up a blue-tinted silhouette of a grown-up Felix making snowflakes. "They are beautiful," Mr Trollman continued, "but also dangerous."

The snowflakes turned into sharp red spikes. Felix gasped.

"You must learn to control them," said Mr Trollman. He added, rather fiercely, "Fear will be your enemy."

More characters gathered around Felix's silhouette, screaming and shouting. They suddenly amassed and leapt up, snuffing out Felix's figure in one fell swoop.

The real Felix grabbed his mother's arm in fright. "Jiminy jaminy," he breathed.

"We won't let that happen," Felix's mother insisted. "He can control it. Can't you, dear?" She looked down.

Felix nodded.

"Until then," Felix Senior said, "we'll have to make some changes. We'll limit Felix's contact with people. We have to keep this a secret from everyone . . . including Ralph." He looked down at the big-handed boy sleeping in his arms. "You don't know what sort of home he came from. We can't let him get hurt again."


	2. Chapter 2: The Aftermath

Chapter Two: The Aftermath

Months passed and winter came, and with it came the first snowfalls. When Ralph looked out to see that the ground was completely white, he ran down the hallway at once and stopped outside Felix's bedroom door.

"Hey, Felix!" he called. "Do you wanna build a snowman?"

There was no reply. Ralph tried the handle. It was locked.

"Aren't you gonna come out and play?" Ralph asked.

Again, no reply. Ralph peeked under the door. "Hello? Is anyone in there?"

He thought he could see Felix's feet – or were they just a pair of unworn shoes? Without a reply, he couldn't tell.

Ralph stood up properly. "What's wrong, Felix? Normally when I suggest building a snowman, you're totally up for it. And now you're not? I mean, it's cool if you're not, we don't actually _have_ to build a snowman-"

The door opened. "I have a lot of homework to do," said Felix, "so I can't play with you today."

Just as quickly as it opened, the door slammed shut again.

Ralph stood there for a few seconds more. "Okay, bye," he finally said. He turned and walked back to his room, dragging his feet.

. . .

That evening, after dinner, Felix Senior noticed that the door to Felix Junior's room was unlocked. He found his son standing by the window, looking out at the snow with a longing almost like that of Juliet in the balcony scene.

"Son?"

At the sound of his father's voice, Felix yelped. An icy blast shot out of his hands and froze the windowsill.

"Sorry, Dad," he said immediately. "I didn't hear you come in."

"No need to apologise, kid," said Felix Senior. "Actually, I was just thinking about your . . . powers, and I had an idea." He tugged off his workman's gloves and dropped them on Felix's bed. "Would gloves help?"

Felix picked them up and slipped them on. He held a hand out in front, waiting for something cold to appear. But nothing happened. He allowed himself to smile. "Good idea, Dad."

"Thanks. I'll ask Santa Claus to get a pair especially for you." He patted Felix's shoulder, which made the boy flinch a little. "You know what to do," he added. "Conceal it."

"Don't feel it," said Felix.

The eyes of father and son met.

"Don't let it show," they finished together.

. . .

A few years later, Felix moved up to middle school, and Ralph saw his big brother even less. Consequently, that winter, Ralph was determined to do something in the snow with him, like old times.

On the first day of winter break, Ralph approached Felix's bedroom, clutching a crumpled piece of paper in a big hand. He was only eleven, but Ralph's growth spurt had already begun and showed no sign of slowing down. His arms were thick with muscle, and his footsteps were so powerful they made the house vibrate.

Standing outside Felix's door, Ralph cleared his throat and began to read from his paper. He had everything planned out.

"May I have a moment of your time, please?" he asked. There was no reply, but Ralph carried on regardless.

"I'm afraid your proposal to spend your winter break Staying Inside and Doing Nothing is unacceptable." Time for a dramatic pause. "You know I love you, don't you?" He waited. "And you love me, right?" Another pause. "But if you love me, then how can you expect me to waste the best years of my life – childhood – being bored because you won't play with me?" Now _that_ was a great rhetorical question. "So all I'm asking is that we build a snowman in the Great Field again." He heard nothing from the other side of the door. "Why, it only takes a matter of minutes! You'll still have plenty of time for other stuff." Still nothing.

It was time to move in for the kill.

Ralph picked up his mother's Polaroid camera from the shelf, pulled the saddest face he could, and took a picture. He waved the film around for a bit and then slipped it under the door. "Perhaps _this_ will convince you."

Now Ralph could hear footsteps. He waited there on the floor for what seemed like forever. The picture was pushed back out face-down. Felix had written something on the back.

_Sorry, I can't. _

There was no excuse, lame or otherwise.

Ralph slowly got to his feet, his eyes dark. Something inside him changed. "Fine, be that way!" he yelled. He punched the stupid door and stomped back to his own room.

A few seconds later, Felix's door fell off his hinges. He ran over and tried to lift it back up, to no avail. "Dad?" he called. "The door needs fixing."

He was glad that Ralph hadn't seen the snow in his room.

. . .

In contrast to Ralph, Felix didn't seem any taller than he was when he was eight. His tiny stature was dwarfed even more by the great star-shaped ice burst on the wall. His parents noticed this as they stood at the foot of his bed.

These days, Felix could have good nights and bad nights. On good nights, sleep was a peaceful and welcome respite from a stressful day pretending to be normal. On bad nights, the nightmares would manifest themselves in the real world as icy intruders in his bedroom.

The night after Ralph's speech was a bad night.

"I'm scared," said Felix. He was sitting up in bed and trembling violently, with the quilt wrapped around his body like a security blanket. "It's getting stronger!"

Ice spikes protruded from all four corners of the room. Felix saw them and yelped. "I need thicker gloves!" he cried.

"Felix, getting upset only makes it worse," said his mother. She went to hug him, but he shrank away, pulling the quilt tighter around him. "Don't touch me," he urged. "I don't want to hurt you."

His mother and father shared a look, the kind of thing that parents do to say, "We've run out of options." They slowly walked out, his mother closing the door behind them.

Alone at last, Felix squeezed his eyes shut. "Don't let them in," he muttered. "Don't let them see. Be a good boy now. Conceal, don't feel. Conceal . . . don't feel. Conceal . . . don't . . . feel . . . Conceal. . ."

The mantra lulled him back to sleep.

. . .

Time passed and things changed. The differences between the brothers became even more obvious.

Felix was a short man, like most Nicelanders. He had inherited his father's mousy brown hair and bright blue eyes, giving him a certain cuteness that others were drawn to. Fortunately, by adulthood he had mastered the art of concealment, so he was a little more comfortable with going out and making friends than he had been as a child. As long as he wore his gloves at all times, which he did, he was fine. His circle of friends grew outside just Gene to include Roy, Don, Nel, Norwood, Lucy, Deanna, Meg and Mary, to name but a few.

In stark contrast to Felix, Ralph reached a finite size of nine feet tall, by which time he weighed six hundred and forty-three pounds. His eyes were an unfathomable dark brown, while his hair naturally settled into harsh spikes. He lost his playful and outgoing personality, instead regressing to his pre-adoption days, becoming as tough as his hands.

Oh, he wanted to be like Felix, to be popular, to be the kind of guy with friends on every street. But the incident he could not remember had forever scarred his relationships with others. Thanks to his oversized hands, he had a tendency to wreck things. And when that happened, no-one would want to come near him. On the rare occasions when he left the house, people shied away and refused to even make eye contact.

Felix's parents moved out after Felix came home from college, so he and Ralph were alone together. Well, in reality, they were hardly ever together. Felix was usually not at home, instead helping with his dad's handyman business. The job was easy for Felix Senior because he had a magic hammer, but he always promised Felix that he would use it someday. Ralph, who could never hold down a job for more than a month, mostly just stayed in and watched whatever was on TV.

In the evenings, Felix would either go out to relax with friends or stay at home. If he went out, Ralph watched some more TV. If he stayed at home, Ralph would excuse himself and walk the long way to the Great Field. He would sit on the stump and reminisce about the good old days. After a few hours he would retake the long way home, sneaking in through the back door to avoid waking Felix.

It wasn't that the brothers didn't love each other anymore. It was just that it was easier not to talk to each other.

. . .

The last good day came on the Fourth of July when Felix and Ralph were in their late twenties. Guests had piled into Felix's back garden for food and flag-waving. (Mary brought her famous pies, per the norm). There was a constant stream of people telling Felix that the party was great and they loved this song and ooh these cakes are delicious! No matter how inane the comment, Felix greeted everyone with a smile and a polite reply.

It was a good day for Ralph because he got to eat cake and pretend that he had friends.

It was a good day for Felix because his parents were there – and they seemed to be proud of him. As Felix talked to everyone, he kept noticing that his parent's smiles grew bigger and bigger until they almost reached their ears. For the first time in forever, their son was socialising. And there wasn't a snowflake in sight.

When the weather turned nasty in the evening, the garden drained like the Red Sea. Before Felix's parents reached their car, Ralph gave them a big hug. "See you soon," he said.

Felix waved from a distance. "Will you be okay?" he asked. "It's very foggy."

"We'll be fine," said Felix Senior.

. . .

The funeral was held a week later. Two new graves were planted on the summit of the hill. In front of them stood two figures, black against the blaze of the sunset, one tall, the other short. Ralph stood as still as a statue, while Felix kept shaking with fresh sobs. Ralph stepped forward and placed a hand on Felix's shoulder, but Felix shrugged him off. Swallowing his tears, he reached into his pocket for the magic hammer and hugged it to his chest. His dad had left it for him in his will.

Ralph left with nothing.

. . .

For uncountable nights, Felix cried. He couldn't hold back his powers. He threw his gloves off, he wailed, he let the fractals form where they may. Within a matter of minutes, his room was completely frozen. Felix slid down the icy door and rested his head against it, not caring that it was chilling him to the bone.

"Felix?"

That voice. . .

"I know you're in there."

It was Ralph on the other side.

"People are asking about you. They want to know if you're okay. Well, of course they know you're not okay, but – they're really worried about you."

Felix sniffed.

"Looks like it's just us. If you need someone to talk to . . . you've got me. You know that, don't you?"

Felix couldn't trust himself to talk without sobbing, so he just nodded.

"Can I come in?"

Felix looked around. Through his tears, he saw only two colours: the white of the snow and the blue of the ice. Snowflakes hung in mid-air, suspended by grief. He shook his head.

At first nothing happened, and then he felt the floor shaking as Ralph walked away.

. . .

Ralph went to the Great Field – the only place he could think to go. He lay down, flattening the grass, and rested his head against the old stump. There were only a few clouds above him; millions of stars twinkled in the great expanse of the sky.

For a while, Ralph pretended that the stars were snowflakes. He focused on two clouds that looked like two boys, and imagined that they were building snowmen and riding icy slides.

Comforted by memories he didn't know were fake, he drifted into sleep.

. . .

Ralph awoke to a smell – a harsh, thick smell that conjured up images of rotting fish and rat droppings. He groaned and sat up, disturbing a glass bottle that rolled away and smashed into tiny pieces.

_Where am I? _

He held his nose. Above the buzzing of flies, he heard a metallic whirr coming from behind a pile of bricks. Ralph scrambled to the peak and looked down onto the Great Field.

Nothing could have prepared him for the sight he saw next.

Bright yellow bulldozers littered the grass. Hundreds of workers in blue overalls were walking between them, pointing and shouting to each other in southern American accents. Somewhere, a drill kicked in. A tubby man with a ginger beard and a clipboard approached the trash pile and looked up at Ralph. "Mornin'," he drawled.

"Did you move my stump?" Ralph snapped.

"That I did. I' was in the way o' the new apartment block?"

"Apartment block?"

Tubby held up the clipboard. Ralph skimmed over the words. "'Imminent domain?'" he cried. "Who wants to live next to a trash pile?"

"Lotsa people, ac-chally" said Tubby, "includin' Mayor Gene. Lotsa new guys movin' inta town who need-"

"I don't care if Michael Jackson himself is moving here," Ralph butted in. "Kids have made happy memories here! People won't stand for it."

"Can't've been many kids," said Tubby. "Far's I've heard, i' was jus' you 'n' Felix. An' Felix's getting' himself an apartment here."

Ralph's mouth dropped open. "He's doing what?"

Tubby nodded. "Said a while back he was thinkin' o' sellin' his old place. Said when he's there, he's surrounded by 'is parents. Kinda sad."

"That traitor!" Ralph growled. He clenched his fists. His hands shook. Finally he ran towards the nearest bulldozer, roaring in unimaginable fury, and started punching the cold yellow machine.

"Hey, you're breakin' the bulldozer!" called Tubby.

"Good!" screamed Ralph. He pulled off a door and proceeded to smash the windscreen.

"Sir, if you don' stop that right now, I'm callin' the police!"

Ralph dropped the door and ran away.

. . .

The apartment was finished after two years and built to high quality. It was one of the tallest buildings in Niceland – and, to some, it was one of the prettiest too. The outside had a traditional red-brick feel, while the inside was furnished with cool colours and eye-popping patterns. A grand penthouse stood out on the top floor. There was even a swimming pool on the roof.

Hundreds of Nicelanders turned up to see the grand unveiling. Among them was Felix, or Fix-It Felix Jr. as he was now known. Seconds after the ribbon was cut, everyone poured in to survey the builder's handiwork and _ooh_ and _ah_ as appropriate.

Two men stayed outside. One was Felix himself, waiting for the crowd to die down.

The other hadn't been seen by Felix for a while. His clothes were ripped and dirty. His face was set in a scowl. He looked up at the abomination and couldn't contain his anger anymore.

"I'M GONNA WRECK IT!" roared Ralph.

Quickly, before he could think twice, he climbed up the side. He proceeded to smash the windows and punch holes in the wall. When a Nicelander got in his way, Ralph threw him aside. People were backing away and screaming. One woman fainted.

"FIX IT, FELIX!" the Nicelanders cried.

Felix grabbed his magic hammer. "I CAN FIX IT!" he reassured them.

That is how Ralph became Wreck-It Ralph.

And that is the story behind _Fix-It Felix Jr._


	3. Chapter 3: It's Freedom Day!

**Author's Note: After two chapters of backstory, we're finally in the present day. Thanks to everyone who has favourited or is following this story. I hope you continue to enjoy it! :) By the way, the Sorceress will appear in this chapter, and since we don't really know what game she's from, I've made it all up. I hope that's okay. **

Chapter Three: It's Freedom Day!

_Knock, knock. _

"Vanellope?" Ralph called.

Vanellope, who had been having a lovely dream about racing, groaned and sat up, pulling a hair from her mouth. Her nightdress, fashioned from an orange candy wrapper, crinkled noisily. "Yeah?" she said groggily.

"Did I wake you up?" Ralph asked as he opened the door.

"Nuh-uh," said Vanellope. "I've been awake for hours." She promptly fell back onto her pillow and dropped off.

Ralph poked her. Her eyes shot open. "Who is it?" she asked.

"Me again," said Ralph. "Sour Bill told me to tell you to get ready."

"Ready for what?" Vanellope glanced at the bedside clock; it read 8:53. She leapt out of bed. "Sweet mother of monkey milk! The arcade opens in seven minutes!" She began to glitch around the messy room, grabbing items of clothing. "I gotta get dressed!" She stopped suddenly and looked at Ralph properly. "And you should be in your own game!"

Ralph threw his hands up. "Easy there, kid. The arcade isn't opening."

"Huh?" Vanellope stared up at him with a blank face.

"Don't you remember? Mr Litwak went on vacation this morning."

"Oh yeah!" Vanellope's eyes lit up. "Where was he going again? Brazil?"

"Yep. You know what that means?"

Vanellope thought. "He gets to watch a lot of soccer?"

Ralph sighed. "Well, that, but it also means-"

"Wait, I know this! The arcade is closed for two whole weeks!" Vanellope butted in.

"Now you're getting there! Which means today is-"

"FREEDOM DAY!" screamed Vanellope. "And Sugar Rush is hosting the First-Day-of-Summer-Vacation Party!" She glitched past Ralph into the hallway. "Come on, Stinkbrain! We've got a party to prepare."

"And you've got clothes to get changed into," Ralph reminded her.

Vanellope returned sheepishly. "Okay, yeah, that's a good note."

. . .

The castle ballroom was filling up with colourful tables. Various racers and NPCs drifted in and out, some to put up candy-themed decorations, some to bring in plates piled up with food. Vanellope paced the edge of the dance floor with a clipboard in her hand and Ralph in tow.

"Okay, Beard Papa says the Kart Bakery is running at full capacity, Duncan's chocolate milk delivery _will_ arrive at three as planned and – excuse me." Vanellope's rambling paused as she told off Sour Bill. "Why is there a random box of tissues by the make-your-own sundae bar? This is a First-Day-of-Summer-Vacation Party, not a funeral." She glitched over, picked up the box, dumped it in the bin and carried on where she left off. "Anyway, I've told the recolours not to put the soufflés in the Bakery oven until the guests start arriving. Apart from that, we're almost ready." She stopped and glanced up at Ralph. "This is crazy. I can't believe we're doing this."

"Me neither," said Ralph.

"I mean, who knew we had eight thousand ice cream bowls?"

"Not me." Ralph picked up a clear glass bowl decorated with the _Sugar Rush_ logo. It slipped out of his hands and crashed to the floor. Sour Bill rushed over and swept up the shards.

"Okay, now we have seven thousand, nine hundred and ninety-nine ice cream bowls." Vanellope shrugged. "That's still more than enough."

Despite her dismissive comment, the loss of the bowl had affected Vanellope. Her shoulders stiffened, and her hands gripped the clipboard so tightly that her knuckles turned white.

"Hey." Ralph knelt down and lifted Vanellope's chin up. "Relax, okay? Everything's on track. It's going to be great. Just think about all the new people you'll be seeing soon."

Vanellope smiled. "You're right. I can't wait to meet everyone." She gasped. "You know what? This'll be great for you too."

"Why?" Ralph asked slowly.

"Because there'll be lots of women there. And one of them could be _The One_."

Ralph rolled his eyes.

"No, no, just imagine. . ." Vanellope came to a window and wrapped herself in a net curtain as if it was a ball gown. She threw her head back seductively. "A beautiful woman standing on the side-lines, looking for someone to talk to. . ."

Vanellope turned her head to Ralph. "She suddenly sees you standing alone as well, and she's thinking, 'What a handsome man. Looking at him, I just wanna . . . stuff some chocolate in my face.'" She abandoned the curtain and wolfed down some chocolate drops. Ralph wondered where this was going.

"You walk towards each other and meet in the middle." Vanellope approached. "You'll be laughing and talking all evening, but then, when there's a break in the conversation. . ." Vanellope waited. ". . . You'll feel this spark fly between you. And that's when you know you won't be leaving the party alone."

Ralph blinked a few times. "Really?"

"No!" Vanellope burst out laughing. "I'm just messing with you! Who needs a girlfriend? You'll just have less time for me."

Ralph laughed along. "It did sound pretty crazy. I'm about as far from handsome as-"

There was a clatter and a wail.

"Candlehead!" Vanellope cried. "I gotta sort this. See you later!"

"Sure," Ralph replied, watching as Vanellope glitched and disappeared.

He turned and headed outside, still thinking about Vanellope's joke. He didn't want to admit it to himself, but a part of him wished that Vanellope hadn't been joking, that he actually stood a chance when it came to women. He wouldn't have minded a girlfriend. As he trudged along the path leading down from the castle, lost in his thoughts –

"Oof!"

Someone slammed into him.

Ralph took a step back. "Hey!" he yelped.

A flustered woman stood before him, her crimson eyes wide. She flicked back her long, dark blue hair. "I'm so sorry," she said. She had a British accent with a deep, seductive quality. "Are you hurt?"

"No, I'm fine." Ralph softened his voice. "Great, actually. You?"

"I'm fine too. I just wasn't looking where I was going."

"Me neither."

They paused. The woman regarded her stiletto boots.

"Don't you go to Bad-Anon sometimes?" Ralph asked.

"That's right," she nodded. "We never really talked, did we? You must be Wreck-It Ralph."

"That's me."

"I've heard so much about your exploits. Good things, I assure you!" she added. "I ought to introduce myself. I'm the Sorceress."

"From the _Whac-a-Mole_?"

"_Wak-A-Troll_," she corrected. "No-one gets it right."

Ralph swallowed. "I'm sorry."

"Don't worry. It happens a lot."

Ralph looked back at the castle. "I think you're a little early. They're still setting up."

"Oh, I know." The Sorceress laughed a little. "I'm just planning my route, surveying the area in advance. I don't like surprises." She made eye contact with Ralph. "Unless they're good surprises, of course."

Ralph found himself taking deep breaths. He was a little light-headed. He clasped his hands behind his back; they were sweaty. He searched for something to say, but it was as if his mind was clouded in a pink fog.

The Sorceress got there first. "Well, I suppose I should go and find a more suitable outfit." She waved a blue-skinned hand at her tight red dress, which had a low neckline and thigh-high slits. "This one might be too revealing."

"You look great in it, though."

She smiled. "Thank you. I'll see you at the party."

She turned and walked away. Ralph gazed after her. He really wanted Vanellope to appear and say that the party would start right now, just so he could see the Sorceress again straightaway.

. . .

That evening, in _Fix-It Felix Jr._, the Nicelanders were leaving the apartment complex one by one. Felix stood near the window and watched them line up at the train station. He turned away and moved to the chest of drawers. There were the pieces of paper he'd been writing on all day, as well as his hammer and a pair of white gloves.

He sighed. He couldn't decide what to wear with his outfit. He'd swapped his usual in-game clothes for something a little smarter, so it made sense to swap his workman's gloves for something else. He took them off, pushed them aside and picked up the white pair. The problem with these gloves was that they were quite thin. They'd worked at the thirtieth anniversary party, but that was actually a pretty small affair. At least, it was small compared to _Sugar Rush_'s First Day Party, where every type of character from every game would be there. Did he really want to screw up in front of all those people? One lapse in concentration would be all it took for his powers to seep through.

_Maybe . . . maybe I can go without gloves. _

He knew he was kidding himself, but Felix wanted to try it. Just in case he had somehow been freed of his burden.

He peered at a picture of his father on the wall. He tried to mimic the picture's pose – one hand on his hip, the other holding the magic hammer aloft. He copied his father's grin.

At first, nothing happened. _It's working!_

And then he heard the all-too-familiar sound, like the cracking of glass. The handle of the hammer was icing over. He gasped, threw it down and quickly pulled on the white gloves. Breathing deeply, he tried to reassure himself.

_It's only for tonight. Keep it in for tonight, and then you'll be back to thick gloves and you'll have nothing to worry about. _

Before he left, he picked up the pieces of paper and took a moment to recite the long mantra he had given himself. It was a mixture of things his parents had told him and things he had told himself.

"Don't let them in.

Don't let them see.

Be the Good Guy

You always have to be.

Conceal, don't feel.

Put on a show.

Make one wrong move

And everyone will know."


	4. Chapter 4: A Party in Full Swing

**Author's Note: I've had two strange dreams about "Wreck-It Ralph" recently. The first was a combination of "Wreck-It Ralph" and "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe." Ralph and Vanellope were both like Edmund, being tempted by the White Glitch. Instead of turning people to stone, she set them in a chocolate mould. **

**The other dream seemed to be inspired by the Goo Growers and Goo Shrinkers in "Disney INFINTY." Some scientists in Hero's Duty made a goo that made things grow. Ralph came into contact with it, and became so big that he couldn't fit in his game and was pushed into the real world. The same thing happened to Vanellope, Felix and Calhoun. Unfortunately the scientists hadn't yet developed a goo that shrunk things, so the characters were stuck in the real world! Eek! **

**Well, enough of my random ramblings. Enjoy this chapter! :) **

Chapter Four: A Party in Full Swing

Vanellope stood on a table covered with a gold cloth. "Are you ready to PARTY?!" she yelled into the microphone.

A great cheer rose from the dance floor.

"I'll take that as a 'yes'!" Vanellope replied. "Now, before we get too excited, you guys all know the drill." A few characters groaned. Vanellope continued, "Someone from each game has to come up here and tell us one good thing that happened to their game this year. Then the party can REALLY get started!"

She plunged her hand into the "Mini Random Roster Choosing Device," which was really just a sparkly pink box full of names. "Uh. . ." She peered at the letters. It occurred to her that she should have picked someone without pixelexia to read. "_Pac-Man_?" she guessed.

Clyde the orange Ghost was pushed to the stage to tell everyone about how the Bad-Anon meeting room had been refurnished with more comfortable chairs. (Ralph cheered the loudest at this – he'd gone to Bad-Anon more often since the new seats had arrived). More characters followed. Tapper welcomed a new flavour of root beer; the _Frogger_ frog celebrated the great clean-up that had reduced water pollution levels in his game; a girl from _Dance Dance Revolution X2_ introduced ten new avatars to the rest of the arcade.

Eventually the Mini Random Roster Choosing Device was running out of names. Vanellope took out two pieces of paper at the same time. "We've just got these games left: _Fix-It Felix Jr._ and _Hero's Doody_." She sniggered.

"It's _Hero's Duty_!" someone yelled.

Vanellope ignored them. "Who's going next?"

Felix hopped onto the table with a _boing_, slipping his cue cards out of his pocket. He cleared his throat. "Um, I'm kind of speaking for both games today. You see, there's this glitch in _Hero's Duty_ which is – oh my land, I'm so sorry!" He should have known that the biggest _faux pas_ in any arcade was to use the word "glitch" in front of a glitch.

Vanellope just shrugged. "No biggie."

Felix took a deep breath to steady himself. "So in _Hero's Duty_, the Cy-Bugs keep re-spawning when they're not supposed to, and the soldiers can't be here tonight because they have to stay there to guard the place. But Tammy – sorry, Sergeant Calhoun – told me to tell you. . ." He squinted at her spiky handwriting. "Ooh! Apparently one of the players reached the ninety-ninth floor for the first time since the game got plugged in!"

Whoops and cheers filled the room.

"I know!" Felix moved that card back to his pocket. "As for our game . . . uh. . ."

This was the bit Felix had been dreading. He had filled many cue cards with ideas for what to say. So many good things had happened this year that it was hard to pick just one to talk about. He saw Ralph and the Nicelanders standing off to the side. They did nothing to help. They just stared back at him, quietly waiting. In fact, the whole room was silent.

"Uh. . ." Felix repeated. The microphone squeaked.

Did they mind that he was taking so long? He spotted a few smiles, but what were they really thinking? _Come on, say something!_

His eyes moved back to his notes – and promptly widened with shock.

The cue cards were starting to freeze over!

Quickly Felix garbled the only thing he could still read. "A few months ago, every other brick turned green whenever someone put a quarter in."

A wave of confused murmurs passed over the crowd.

"That's not a good thing," Vanellope said.

"Yes it is," Felix blurted out, "because we fixed it. A-a-and isn't that the best thing of all, triumphing over adversity?"

For an intolerably long moment, the faces in the crowd were blank. Then Zangief started clapping, and pretty soon everyone else joined in. The applause was sweet music to Felix's ears. He hopped off with another _boing_, shoved the icy notes back in his pocket before anyone could see, and re-joined Ralph and the Nicelanders. Ralph thumped his back. "Good job," he said.

Felix could only sigh with relief.

He'd survived.

Just.

. . .

"_S-U-G-A-R_

_Jump into your racing car_

_It's a Sugar Rush! _

_Sugar Rush!_"

J-Pop blasted through the Sweet Speakers. The dance floor was packed with people; most of them were either _Sugar Rush_ characters or people who came from dancing games. Other characters watched from the side-lines. Ralph and Felix stood next to each other. Ralph was keeping an eye on Vanellope, who twirled in the middle of the floor with Rancis Whatshisname. She tripped and they fell down together – but Rancis just laughed and helped Vanellope up.

The puppy-love grin he gave her reminded Ralph that he was also supposed to be searching for the Sorceress. He scanned the room, hoping that one of the dancers would have blue skin. But no-one on the floor came close to her.

"You look good," Felix said suddenly.

Ralph blinked. "Who looks good?"

"You." Felix was staring up at him.

Ralph _had_ tried to look smart. With limited resources, he'd basically had to borrow the suit from Felix and Calhoun's wedding, but leave behind the jacket and tie. Even so, he didn't think it was that impressive.

"Oh. Right," he said. "Thanks." He noticed Felix was wearing a long-sleeved shirt and a blue waistcoat. He'd got it right – not too smart, not too casual. "You look better," Ralph added. "I mean, more good. I mean, obviously more good because you're a Good Guy, but – yeah. You look good too."

"Thank you."

The men were silent again. They gazed at the dancers.

"So, this is how _Sugar Rush_ does parties," Ralph said eventually.

"The music's not too loud," Felix replied. "I like that."

Ralph sniffed. "What's that smell?"

"Well, this is _Sugar Rush_, so. . ."

The brothers' eyes met. They said at the same time, "Chocolate!"

They laughed. Felix's eyes returned to the dance floor, but Ralph's eyes did not. There were lots of things that he hadn't said, things it was perhaps too late to say. He didn't know where to start.

So he tried the obvious question: "You enjoying the party?"

"Yeah, it's great. You?"

"It's awesome. It's nice to go out and do stuff together. Kinda like old times."

Felix's smile was small. He hummed. Ralph couldn't tell if it was a hum of agreement or a hum of not wanting to talk or a hum of something else entirely.

"I wish we could do this more often," Ralph added.

"Me too."

Those words made Ralph smile.

Felix lifted an arm as if he wanted to hold Ralph's hand. But he stopped himself. His arm dropped to his side. "But we can't."

Ralph's smile fell. "What do you mean? It-"

"We just can't." Felix turned away as he spoke, clasping his hands together.

Ralph swallowed. "Excuse me," he said. He scooted towards a table and broke off a candy cane from a tree-like decoration. When he looked back, Felix was watching him. Ralph frowned and turned back to the food, crunching his candy cane fiercely. _Let him see how it feels._

"Have we met before?"

Ralph gasped. He knew that voice.

He spun around, dropping his food, to see a woman with blue skin and crimson eyes – the Sorceress! True to her word, she had changed her dress. Now she wore a deep purple gown with shorter sleeves and a higher neckline. The skirt was pouffy and frilled, which normally looked better on a two-year-old princess. But the Sorceress still managed to keep an elegant appearance.

Ralph's smile returned. "I think so," he replied. "Oh yeah, we have. I didn't recognise you at first because . . . because you're even more beautiful now than before."

The Sorceress blinked a few times. "Now, how can you be a Bad Guy when you come out with such flattery?"

Ralph shrugged. "I have no idea."

The J-Pop halted suddenly. A 1980s-style electronic tune kicked in. Ralph groaned.

"Isn't this your song?" the Sorceress asked. Her eyes lit up. "Then you need a dance partner! May I. . ." She didn't finish her question.

"Are you sure? People don't tend to like the parts about me."

"Ignore them." The Sorceress took Ralph's hand. "Just focus on me."

She led him to the middle of the dance floor, and the first verse began.

"_Wreck-It Ralph is a giant of a man,_

_Nine feet tall with really big hands. . ._"

Predictably, the other dancers circled Ralph and started booing him. The crowd didn't seem to faze the Sorceress – she simply got down to it as if she came from a dancing game herself. As Ralph attempted his own step-shuffle, his did his best to do as she said, to block the others out and concentrate on her. It wasn't hard to do. He was mesmerised by her thin hips as they swayed in time. She noticed this and giggled.

"_Wreck it, Wreck-It Ralph, as fast as you can – _

_You know you can do it with your colossal hands!_"

"Show me what you've got!" the Sorceress yelled.

Normally Ralph would never dance, but the strong words of the Sorceress egged him on. He let go for the chorus. He flexed his muscles. He punched the ground. He stomped across the dance floor. The Sorceress whooped in delight and the boos gradually faded out, to be replaced with – screams?

Ralph stopped. Cracks spread up the columns and across the ceiling. "Oops," he croaked.

Perhaps he had been a little too energetic.

But then he heard another noise. _Boing. Boing. Boing._ A bolt of blue shot around the ballroom. The cracks disappeared.

"_You fixed it!_"

Felix landed in the middle of the dance floor. The cheers then were the loudest they had been all night.

"_Fix-It Felix is a really great guy. . ._"

Ralph rolled his eyes. "It's gonna be all about Felix now. Let's get out of here."

He took the Sorceress's arm, and the smoothness of her skin made his stomach flip over. He led her through the door to the castle gardens.

. . .

The ground was coated in swirly pink icing. Trees shaped like lollipops were dotted here and there across the lawn, and the flowerbeds were all the colours of the rainbow. No-one else was around; it was the perfect place for a couple to be alone together.

Ralph and the Sorceress found a white bench to sit on and chatted for a long time. They could talk freely about everything, from the Sorceress's catchphrase (the rather unimaginative "Get them, my precious trolls!") to Ralph's big hands. He told her he'd always been like that, but once dreamt that a troll had cursed him with them. He then panicked, because of course her game was all about trolls, but she laughed it off.

"If you must know. . ." She lowered her voice. "I don't even like those trolls. They're either idiotic or cruel. And my sisters are no better."

"How many do you have?"

"Twelve. Though I never see them all at the same time. When the game were first plugged in, three of them pretended I was invisible – for the next two months."

"That's horrible!"

The Sorceress shrugged. "It's what sisters do."

"And brothers." Ralph sighed. "In my backstory, I was adopted by Felix's family, and Felix and I used to be really close. But one day, he just stopped wanting to play with me. I never knew why."

For some reason, the Sorceress's presence encouraged Ralph to continue talking. "It's kinda sad. And it's in my backstory, so there's no way of changing it."

The Sorceress gently placed a hand on one of Ralph's thick fingers. "You shouldn't let your backstory dictate your life."

"I know, but – it's not nice to be blocked out by your own brother, you know? Well, we're not really brothers, but. . ." Ralph tailed off.

The Sorceress knew just what to say. "I would never want to block you out."

The two Bad Guys made eye contact. In the silence, Ralph thought he felt a surge of warmth rush through his chest. His heart rate sped up. He became incapable of taking his eyes off the Sorceress. Was this the spark that Vanellope was talking about?

There was only one way to find out.

"Can I say something that may or may not be crazy?" he asked.

"Go on."

Ralph inhaled deeply. "Will you go out with me?"

The Sorceress gasped. "Can I answer in a way that may or may not be crazy?"

Ralph waited.

"Yes!"


	5. Chapter 5: The Magic Revealed

Chapter Five: The Magic Revealed

"So the rabbi turns to Bowser and says, 'Well, you shouldn't be here either!'"

The Nicelanders laughed at Deanna's joke. Felix had heard it many times before, but he still smirked.

Back in the ballroom, the music had switched to a series of quiet instrumentals, so people grouped together and had little conversations.

"Pardon me, can we just . . . thanks. Coming through. Sorry, was that your foot? Oh, there he is!"

Ralph weaved between the characters, with the Sorceress (his girlfriend!) in tow. "Hey, Felix!" he said.

"Ralph?" Felix peered around him at the strange blue-skinned woman. "Is this a friend?"

"You could say that." Ralph stepped aside. "This is the Sorceress from the _Whac-a-Troll_."

"Nice to meet you," Felix said, lifting his hat in an attempt to be polite.

"She's-"

"I'm Ralph's girlfriend," she butted in.

Felix blinked twice. "I'm sorry, I'm confused."

"He asked me out and I said, 'yes,'" the Sorceress explained. "Does that clear it up?"

Felix didn't like her sarcasm. He turned back to Ralph. "When did you meet her? Just now, at the party?"

"Oh, no, no, it was earlier this morning."

A small frown crossed Felix's face. "Ralph, may I talk to you alone?"

Ralph looked at the Sorceress, who nodded. He let go of her hand. "Fine."

They moved away to an empty space in the ballroom. Felix got straight to the point. "Ralph, you can't go out with a woman you just met."

"Yes, I can," Ralph replied immediately. "At least, I can if I love her."

"You met this morning! How do you know that you really love her?"

Ralph shrugged. "Well, how long did it take you to work out that you really loved Calhoun before you kissed her?"

"_She_ kissed _me_!" Felix spluttered.

"Tomayto, tomahto." Ralph folded his arms.

"How I feel about Tammy and what you think of the Sorceress are completely different."

"No, they're not! Don't kid yourself. You're just getting worked up because for once you can't take the moral high ground here."

Felix clenched his fists, then sighed and unclenched them. "I'm going." He turned and quickly walked towards the double doors.

"What?" Ralph came after him. "Wait up!" He grabbed Felix's arm – and pulled Felix's glove off.

Felix gasped, spun around and reached for the glove in panic. "Give that back!"

"No." Ralph held it above Felix's head. "Felix, I can't take this anymore."

"Can't take what anymore?"

"You. . ." Ralph searched for words. "You not wanting anything to do with me."

Felix saw the hurt in his brother's eyes and it was too much. He made a beeline for the doors.

"Stop!"

The music was paused. Everyone ceased their conversations and focused on Ralph and Felix.

"What did I ever do to you?" Ralph asked.

Felix opened his mouth, but had no answers. "Not now," he pleaded.

"Why do you do this to me?" Ralph continued. "Why do you never let me in? Why do you hate it so much when things don't go your way?"

Felix squeezed his eyes shut. His fingers were tingling and getting colder.

"What are you so afraid of?!"

Something in Ralph's question hit him hard. Felix swept around. "I said, not now!"

Ice shot out from his hand and spiked across the floor!

Guests cried out and backed away. The _Frogger_ frog leapt out of his skin. Pac-Man's jaw dropped. Candlehead raised a hand to poke one of the spikes, but Taffyta took Candlehead's wrist and shook her head.

Ralph stared at the icicles. They all seemed to be pointing at him. All he could get out was, "Felix?"

But the handyman had disappeared.

. . .

Felix burst through the main doors onto the courtyard. A few characters were milling around, oblivious to what had happened inside.

"Hi, Felix!"

"Great party, huh?"

"Wait, are you alright?"

Their words made Felix's chest tighten even more. He ducked through the people, holding his bare hand. His breaths were short. His head spun.

"Hey, buddy, need a drink?"

The speaker – Swizzle, he thought his name was – popped up in Felix's face.

"N-no . . . I'm fine," Felix stuttered. He took a step backwards, but knocked a table of milkshakes. It wobbled. He grabbed the edge of the table. It froze at his touch, along with the drinks themselves.

Gasps spread over the crowd.

"Whoa," Swizzle breathed. "Chill, man."

_That doesn't help!_, Felix screamed in his mind.

The Nicelanders were coming outside now. "There he is!" Don pointed at Felix.

"Whatever you're doing, make it stop!" cried Mary.

"Please," begged Felix, "stay away from me!" He darted towards the castle gates.

Gene started to say, "But we need to-"

"No!"

Icy magic accidentally burst out and transformed the ground. All the Nicelanders slipped and fell over at the same time.

"He's turning into a monster!" Nel yelped.

A sudden cold wind swept through _Sugar Rush_. Tiny snowflakes drifted along with it. Icicles grew on the archway of the gates. More and more people were screaming.

Ralph appeared in the doorway. "Felix!"

Felix fled. He darted down the curved path, hearing nothing but the wind in his ears, feeling nothing but the snowflakes hitting his face, thinking nothing but, _I have to get out of here_. He only stopped when he came to a river of chocolate. The shoreline cooled under his feet. He looked down to see the ground carpeted with a thin layer of snow.

"Felix, wait!" a voice called.

Felix glanced back. Ralph had been following him, with the Sorceress not far behind.

Felix suddenly leapt across the river. _Boing._ In mid-air, it occurred to him that the other side was too far away to be cleared by one jump. He braced himself for a soaking –

And nothing happened. He landed on something solid. His feet had turned part of the river into ice.

"Stop! Don't you want your glove back?" Ralph called again. He was at the shoreline now. He slipped and landed on his butt.

Felix ignored him and kept hopping, the chocolate freezing with each landing. _Boing. Boing. Boing._ He reached the far shore, scrambled over a jawbreaker and disappeared.

The Sorceress pulled Ralph to his feet. "Have you seen what's happening?" she gasped.

The ice spread until the chocolate river was completely frozen. But it didn't stop there. Snow crept over the Easter-egg-like hills and across the fields of lollipops. Taffy swamps turned solid and stiff. Karts were frozen in place. Candy cane trees bent over like old men, their boughs weighed down with snow. In the distance, Diet Cola Mountain slowly developed a white peak.

Winter had arrived in _Sugar Rush_.

. . .

Back at the castle, all the guests were outside. They looked up at the sky, once bright blue, now a dull grey. The wind was weaker, but the snowflakes still drifted down in ever-thicker flurries. No-one could believe what they were seeing.

"Snow!"

"In summer?!"

"What did he do?"

Questions drifted through the crowd.

The Sorceress had her arm around Ralph as they returned. "Did you know?" she whispered.

Ralph shook his head. He was still thinking about the spot where Felix had vanished.

Meanwhile, Vanellope was glitching to and fro. "It's snowing! It's snowing! Why is Felix making it snow? What is he, a Yeti or something?"

"Or something." Ralph approached. "Pull yourself together, kid."

Vanellope glitched out of Ralph's reach. "Wait a minute. You're not magical too, are you?"

"Huh? No way! I didn't even know Felix could do it until just now."

The Sorceress joined them. "That's right. Ralph is completely ordinary." She saw his face. "In a nice way," she added quickly.

"And Felix is not a monster," Ralph told Vanellope. "He was just scared. I don't think he wanted this." Ralph stood up a little straighter. "This is my fault. I pushed him, so I have to go after him."

"What?" Mary cried. "No! Did you see what he did? We almost died!"

"We slipped on ice," said Gene.

"His ice!"

"Look," Ralph interrupted, "this isn't about who slipped on whose ice. It's about finding Felix and making things right."

"Actually, Ralph, she has a point." Vanellope found an empty table and stood on it. "No-one can go after Felix tonight. We haven't seen what he's capable of. It's too dangerous." Vanellope raised her voice, getting into President Mode. "Wynnchel and Duncan can survey the area tomorrow. For now, everyone should go back to their own games and wait for news. The party's over, people."

Guests walked away, grumbling a little.

"But-" Ralph started.

Vanellope talked over him. "Felix is probably still terrified. If you let him calm down, it'll be easier to talk and clear the air. Literally." As she spoke, she caught a snowflake on her tongue.

Ralph smiled. "Sometimes I forget how sensible you can be."


	6. Chapter 6: Letting It Go

**Author's Note: I haven't been incorporating the songs from "Frozen" into this story because I don't want to do a complete rip-off of the film. So it's going to be quite hard to do the "Let It Go" sequence without "Let It Go." I've tried, though, and I hope it's all right. :) **

Chapter Six: Letting It Go

Night fell in _Sugar Rush_. The Ice Cream Mountains on the edge of the game were still glowing white, even as the Sun went down. Fluffy strawberry and minty scoops surrounded the track; three whipped vanilla peaks, coated in chocolate, stood tall and proud above the rest.

Not high above the snowline, a small figure climbed the highest peak. Felix stopped and surveyed the area, catching his breath at the isolation of the place. There were no footprints apart from his own. There weren't even any tyre tracks, for they had been covered by his snow.

Even now, snowflakes continued to fall, blown about by the howling wind. _That's kind of how I feel,_ Felix thought. _There's a swirling storm inside me, too. I've kept it in for over thirty years, and then . . . this. _

_I can't hold it back anymore. _

_But jiminy jaminy, I tried. _

Felix looked at his hands. His left was bare and paling in the cold; his right was still gloved. He whispered his mantra again.

"Don't let them in.

Don't let them see.

Be the Good Guy

You always have to be.

Conceal, don't feel.

Put on a show.

Make one wrong move

And everyone will know."

He tore the glove off and threw it into the air. "Well, now they know!" he yelled, laughing as it spiralled out of his reach.

It was time to practice.

He flicked his wrist, and a cloud of snowflakes drifted down by his feet. What else? He swept a finger through the air, fast as lightning. The frost now spelled his name in the side of the mountain: _FELIX_.

What about the snow already on the ground?

Felix concentrated on a giant pile and pulled it up into the air. The snow twirled like a tornado as he deliberated. When it fell into place, the form of a snow-girl emerged. She had a high ponytail, just like Vanellope. Glancing around, Felix found two blue Smarties on the ground and pushed them into her face. His smile grew. "Sweet," he said to himself, patting the snow-girl's head.

Soon, she was joined by a Ralph-like figure and a Calhoun-esque person. Both rose out of the ground like plants in spring.

As Felix admired his handiwork, the wind tugged his hat off his head and he grabbed it quickly. For a second he stared at it – and then he let it go. _The cold never bothered me anyway. _

Running around the mountainside, Felix had a perfect view of _Sugar Rush_ when he turned back. The trees looked like short weeds and the racetrack seemed nothing more than a crack in the ground. _It's funny how some distance makes everything seem small. _

There was a large gap between this peak and the next. Felix leaned over, gazing down into the gooey, chocolaty abyss. Normally the sight would have made him shake like a leaf. This time, though, it gave him an idea. He pushed his arms out in front of him. A white mist broke through and spread across the gap, leaving behind an icy staircase. It reached over the edge . . . and stopped after five steps.

Was that it? Felix frowned and stamped a foot onto the first step. There was a crack. He lifted his head quickly. Looking closely, he saw that more of the staircase was inching out as he moved forward. All he had to do was run.

So he did. He ran and ran, arms spread out, new steps appearing under his feet as if it took no effort. With the wind in his hair and a new-found energy in his heart, Felix forgot his old fears – the party, Ralph, his backstory, everything. Here there was no right, no wrong and no rules – just freedom. He reached the top of the staircase, but it didn't stop there. When he slammed his foot down, he formed a square panel with a giant snowflake right in the middle, connecting the staircase to the next peak.

Running to the centre, Felix pulled his arms above his head. As he did so, _Tetris_ blocks flashed and glowed as they slotted into place, forming an icy wall. In a powerful flurry of creative release, the panel rose up on an ever-growing number of bricks and beams. Windows, floors, a grand archway: everything was formed from the same magical ice. With one thought, the top of the tower crystallised into a penthouse, with a sub-zero bar and dance floor. The intricately-decorated windows had elegant curves and a bluish tinge.

Surveying his apartment complex, Felix opened the door to the balcony, took his hammer out of his belt and threw it away. "I'm never going back!" he yelled. "The past is in the past!"

He strode onto the balcony and into the light. The Sun was rising again. Felix stood with his hands on his hips. His clothes changed into his usual handyman garb, but now with light fabrics, cool colours and blocky geometric patterns.

Yes, that perfect man had gone, but he was finally free.

. . .

The snow-girl blinked and slowly turned her head. Almost everything around her was bright white. Cold, too. She shivered and hugged herself.

Something blue stood out on the ground. Like a baby learning to walk, she toddled over on shaky legs and picked it up. It was a baseball cap. She slipped it on her head, giggling childishly.

Looking back, she saw a blue-tinged skyscraper. The archway over the door called it (N)ICELAND. A small figure stood on the balcony. Even from this distance, it was obvious that he was very happy. He leaned on the rails, his shoulders slumped in a relaxed fashion.

Slowly the snow-girl lifted a white arm. "Hey, mister!" she called, waving. But the man was already turning and retreating, slamming the door behind him.

She shrugged. "Maybe later." Her gaze shifted to the world below. Much of it was blanketed in snow, but a few pink stripes on the tree trunks still showed through. Were they . . . candy trees?!

With a big smile on her face, the snow-girl ran down the mountain, eagerly awaiting the sweet treats.


	7. Chapter 7: Cy-Bugs!

**Author's Note: The "Hoo hoo, big summer blowout" scene has been removed because it wouldn't really fit into the setting of Litwak's Family Fun Centre. I've done something different with this chapter, and I hope you still like it! :) **

Chapter Seven: Cy-Bugs!

Ralph woke with a jerk; a sudden chill had ripped him out of his dreams. Something sharp poked his back, and the stars above him shifted around in his blurry, tired vision.

_Wait a minute – our game never has stars in the sky! _

Ralph sat up straight. The bricks that made up his bed were coated in a layer of frost. The stars swirled down and a few flew into his face.

No, they weren't stars, he realised. They were snowflakes.

Ralph clambered off the pile and onto the grass – or what used to be grass. His bare feet sank into a fresh layer of cold, wet snow. "Ah!" he yelped, sitting down on the trash pile again.

This was Felix's work. It had to be. Goose pimples rose on his arms as he realised what had happened.

The lights were on in the penthouse on top of the Niceland apartment complex. _I could use some of that warmth,_ Ralph thought. He sighed; his breath clouded like cigarette smoke, then floated away. Resolute, he stood and strode out towards the apartment block.

"Gah!"

_Stupid snow._ He shook the ice crystals off his foot, took a deep breath and continued. His walk became more of a hop as the coldness caught him with each step. "Eep! Yikes! Ooh! Cold! So cold!"

When he finally reached the apartment block, his toes were turning blue. There was no time to lose. He climbed up the side, slid across to the balcony and burst through the doors.

An easel clattered to the floor. The Nicelanders gasped and Gene leapt back. "Ralph!"

"Sorry."

Ralph tried to stand the easel up, with little success. Finally Gene grabbed it and dumped it in a corner. "The easel's not important," he snapped.

"Have you seen the snow?" Ralph asked.

"Is _Pope-Man_ a Catholic video game?" Deanna flung back.

"We don't know what to do." Mary started pacing in a stilted, 8-bit fashion. "The winter is spreading. Every game must have it now. And look at the screen."

Ralph spun round. The long, rectangular window to the real world didn't look any different . . . apart from the spikes around the edge. "Are those icicles?"

"Yes, but they're not in the game."

As Gene spoke, water trickled down from a particularly long icicle. Instead of dripping into Niceland, it vanished over the edge of the screen.

"The magic is out of control, Ralph. If Mr Litwak comes back to this-"

Panicked voices filled the room.

"What if the games break?"

"We'll be put out of order!"

"They're gonna pull our plug!"

"We're doomed!"

Nicelanders screamed and ran around in circles.

"Okay, guys, calm down," Ralph spoke above the noise. "Nothing's going to happen, because I'm going to find Felix and make things right."

The screams dulled to confused murmurs.

"How are you going to find him in a big game like _Sugar Rush_?" Don asked.

Ralph opened his mouth, but then closed it again. A light bulb flickered above his head – and an idea came to him.

"I'll get a better view from the air," he announced. "So if I go to _Hero's Duty_ and explain everything to Sergeant Calhoun, maybe she'll let me borrow a space pod."

"You can't fly a space pod, can you?" asked Norwood.

"I've crashed one before," Ralph admitted, "but this time I'll be more careful. You guys just wait here, and the snow will be gone faster than you can say, 'I can fix it'."

The Nicelanders were silent. Gene was peering at Ralph with a scowl. "What?" Ralph snapped.

"Nothing," Gene replied quickly. "Your plan . . . _could_ work, I guess. Just bring Felix back soon so we can sort this out."

. . .

_Hero's Duty_ had never been a pleasant game to visit. It was always night-time, the sky cloaked in menacing ash-filled clouds and peppered with flashes of light. There was never any peace and quiet – ominous explosions echoed in the distance, and the constant buzzing of insects filled the air. The darkness told all game-jumpers to stay away. If you didn't keep your wits about you, you could end up getting whacked in the head by flying debris (or an angry Sergeant) or even eaten by a Cy-Bug.

Now, though, it was even more vicious. Sharp edges in the twisted ground pierced the white blanket. Snowflakes collected ash as they flew on the wild wind, clouding the game in a grey and foul-smelling fog. Ralph navigated his way along the wire mesh platform, constantly turning his head, keeping an eye out for those pesky Cy-Bugs. When he finally spotted Calhoun, she was at the base of the ninety-nine-storey caustic tower, shaking a small sensor. "Frozen-water-filled nightmare," she muttered to it as Ralph approached.

"Hey, Sarge."

Calhoun jumped, dropping the device. "Wreck-It! What are you doing here?"

"I need to borrow one of your space pods."

"Negatory," was her immediate answer.

"Does that mean 'maybe'?"

"NO!" she barked. "I can't just fly you to the Moon or whatever, I've got a glitching game to keep an eye on."

"Okay, let me rephrase that. Felix has created a magical winter in every game and now he's run off to somewhere in _Sugar Rush_. I have to go and find him to bring back summer. Now take me to your space pods." Ralph straightened up, trying to look tough. "Please," he added.

Calhoun squinted at the blizzard, lips tight. "Fine. Kohut can keep watch while I'm gone."

Ralph pulled a face. "You're coming with me?" He quickly smiled. "I mean, uh, thanks! Now for the long climb to the top."

"There's a quicker way." Calhoun led Ralph around the back of the tower. A glass elevator sat among a mass of black pipes. After checking the maximum weight restrictions (which Ralph found rather insulting), Calhoun pulled him inside and pressed a button. The doors closed. They were off!

"This is actually pretty cool," Ralph breathed. "There's a spectacular view, and you don't run into any Cy-Bugs . . . why don't you just take the players up here?"

"Because that would be cheating."

"Oh. Right."

There was a pause.

"So what's up with Fix-It?" Calhoun asked. "Why'd he go AWOL?"

Ralph gripped the metal rail. The elevator sure was fast. "It was my fault, I guess. I asked someone out and he freaked because I'd only just met her – like, that day. I pointed out that it was no different to him and you, but he didn't like that-"

"Wait, you asked out a woman you just met?"

"Yep. Anyway, I got mad and he got mad and he tried to walk away, so I grabbed his arm and his glove came off-"

"Slow down, Usain Bolt. You're telling me you're dating a woman you just met?!"

"Yes! Pay attention!" Ralph rolled his eyes. "Thing is, he wore gloves all the time, so I just assumed it was what all construction workers did. I never thought it was because he had something to hide."

"Didn't anyone programme some lessons about stranger danger into your brain?"

Ralph moved away from Calhoun. "They did, actually. But the Sorceress is not a stranger."

"Oh, really? What's her real name?"

"Her creators didn't bother giving her one."

"Favourite food?"

"Um . . . chocolate? Women like chocolate."

"Not me. Best friend's name?"

"Probably Daisy."

"Eye colour?"

"Beautiful. And red."

"Shoe size?"

"That doesn't matter."

Calhoun folded her arms. "You ought to have a meal with her at least. You could hate the way she slurps her spaghetti. She might even pick her nose."

Ralph shook his head. "I don't think so. Her sisters are princesses."

"Lots of world leaders pick their noses. General Hologram does it." Calhoun leaned forward, the way a teenager with a juicy piece of gossip might do so. "He eats his own boogers, too."

Ralph glanced at Calhoun's hands. "I wouldn't care even if she did pick her nose. It's love."

"I don't think so."

"How would you know? You haven't seen her."

Just then the elevator stopped at the ninety-ninth floor. A sea of eggs surrounded a chamber at the centre of the darkened room. The golden Medal of Heroes floated inside. "Now _this_ takes me back," said Ralph.

Calhoun ignored him, beginning to edge her way along the wall. Ralph followed her, doing the most careful tip-toe steps he could do. "Nice eggs," he whispered. "Good eggs. Don't hatch in our faces, now."

"Please don't talk to the eggs," Calhoun hissed like a martyred schoolteacher. "It doesn't help them in any way."

She stopped suddenly, making Ralph tread on her heel. She glared at him and then stepped into a pod, wrapping a harness around him. They were both locked in place as the doors slammed shut.

"Escape pod activated," announced a deep female voice.

The engine fired and then – BOOM! The pod burst out of the building.

At first it shot straight up into the sky, but Calhoun steered it down, the headlights punching through the blizzard towards the tunnel to Game Central Station. "_Sugar Rush_, here we come!" Ralph cried.

But at the last second, the pod lurched to the left, missing the tunnel completely.

"Whoa, what was that for?"

Ralph's question was answered by the rapid beeping of the radar machine and the red dots appearing on it.

"Not again," Calhoun groaned. She pushed open the pod's top hatch. "I've got this." She stood up, gun in hand. Bright eyes darted towards her. "Keep the pod flying and try not to crash."

Ralph grabbed the steering wheel. His hands were shaking, and the pod weaved to and fro.

"Straighten up!" Calhoun bellowed.

"Uh, maybe you should steer while I take care of the Cy-Bugs," Ralph yelled back.

"Or maybe I shouldn't."

"Why not?"

"Because since you started dating someone you just met, I don't trust your judgement."

Ralph muttered, "Says the woman who didn't even do a perimeter check on her own wedding day."

He didn't think she heard.

But she did.

That was when the hail of bullets rained down on the creatures. Calhoun's gun blazed through the blizzard. Each target exploded in a shower of green goo, and each explosion rekindled the fire in her eyes.

Ralph swerved and crashed into a massive Cy-Bug. Shrapnel and glass clattered against the windscreen. "We need to get a beacon or something," he called.

"Yeah, but it takes a while to heat up. Just keep moving."

The pod dived under a bridge. Calhoun ducked, almost dropping her gun. "Hey, you could've knocked me out there!"

"But I didn't."

Ralph was faced with a terrifying sight. Behind him, the Cy-Bugs were closing in on the pod. In front of him, a fresh swarm was waiting. The insects had razor-sharp pincers and thrashing metal teeth. Their screeches scraped Ralph's ears. If one of them got to him. . .

"Cease fire! Cease fire!"

A bright blue light shot through the building. At once the Cy-Bugs were charmed by it. They flew together to be zapped into oblivion.

"Beacon up!" Ralph cheered.

Calhoun swung back into the driver's seat, kicking Ralph aside, and accelerated into the tunnel. The pod spiralled like an out-of-control bottle rocket, bouncing off the walls. It raced through Game Central Station and barrelled down another cable. Familiar pink clouds came into view.

Safely in _Sugar Rush_, Calhoun turned to face Ralph. "That comment you made about my wedding day?"

"Yeah?"

She clocked him with the butt of her gun. Her eyes were hard as steel. "Don't ever say anything like that again."

"No, sir. I mean, ma'am."

. . .

Vanellope and the other _Sugar Rush_ avatars were in the ballroom, huddled in a circle around Candlehead. The heat from the flame on her hat was welcomed by her fellow racers. They held their hands out to her and shivered.

"I'm popular," Candlehead beamed.

"They only like you because you've got a candle," Taffyta grumbled.

A triangular metallic flying thing zoomed past the window and parked up in the courtyard. Ralph leapt out as Vanellope burst through the doors, followed by her fellow racers. "Hi, guys," said Ralph. "Everything good here?"

"You mean besides the fact that we're completely frozen?" Vanellope sneered.

"Well, I'm going to change that." Ralph picked up the President by her hood. "You know the layout of _Sugar Rush_, right?"

"I run the place, gadoi!"

"Then you can show us around." Ralph seated her in the pod. "We're looking for Felix so he can thaw the arcade."

"Okay, but . . . are you sure he _can_ actually do that?" Vanellope stared at Ralph with big hazel eyes.

Ralph hesitated. "Yeah . . . I hope so. Now come on."

The other racers watched with confused expressions on their faces. "Sour Bill's in charge!" Vanellope called as the pod flew into the sunlight.

The racers groaned.


	8. Chapter 8: Vanellsa Von Arendelle

**Author's Note: If I don't post another chapter for a while, don't worry. I haven't forgotten the story – I'm just busy with other stuff. I've taken on Larxillyan's comments and I'm going to add something slightly different to this chapter. I'll try to do it for the next few chapters too. Enjoy! :) **

**Fun Fact: Alan Tudyk, the voice of King Candy in "Wreck-It Ralph," also plays the Duke of Weaseltown – sorry, Weselton – in "Frozen." He's nothing if not versatile. **

Chapter Eight: Vanellsa Von Arendelle

Double doors opened onto a rectangular space divided into two halves. On the left was a chocolate-brown turntable resembling one of Reece's Peanut Butter Cups. Two columns twisted like ropes of dark pink liquorice stood either side, and two arrows pointing in opposite directions were attached to the columns. On the right was a chest of drawers in the same shade of bright pink as the doors. The eight drawers were labelled _Hats_, _Tops_, _Bottoms_, _Dresses_, _Gloves_, _Socks_, _Shoes_ and _Accessories_ in yellow cursive.

"_Chews_ your outfit!" the male announcer boomed when Vanellope walked in.

"Why did you make us stop here?" asked Ralph.

Vanellope just glared at him. "Well, were you really gonna go out in the snow dressed like _that_?"

Ralph looked down at his orange t-shirt and torn red dungarees. "Not really, but-"

"Then you gotta get changed."

Vanellope practically pushed him onto the turntable. She glitched up and pulled out the _Hats_ drawer. Immediately the chest disappeared, to be replaced by little squares. Each square had a picture of a hat. They came in every possible style and in all the colours of the Skittles Rainbows.

Ralph blinked in shock. There were so many items. "Will these even fit?"

"Yeah, it grows or shrinks to your size. In your case, it just grows." Vanellope's gaze flew over the options. "Ooh, this is a good one!" She poked a square containing a red cap. _Ping!_

In less than a second Ralph felt something soft on his head. He lifted a hand, and his fingers stroked a white woolly ear flap. "Weird," he breathed.

Vanellope didn't hear his comment. She was here. She was there. She was glitching all over the place. _Ping! Ping! Ping!_ Clothes appeared and disappeared faster than Ralph could keep up with. All the different colours and patterns flashing on him made his eyes hurt.

"What are you doing?!" he yelped.

"Making everything match, that's what!" Vanellope pixelated some more and finally came to rest in front of the turntable. "Okay, I'm done. What do you think?"

Ralph looked down. He now wore a padded, bright orange jacket trimmed with white fur. His big hands were encased in gloves with red and orange stripes. The waterproof trousers were the same cherry-red as the hat. His feet sat in thick orange socks and shiny black boots.

He shrugged. "Not bad."

"Give us a twirl!" Vanellope insisted, pressing one of the arrow buttons.

"Whoa!" The turntable spun quickly. Ralph's arms flailed as he tried to stay upright. He grabbed a column just as it stopped.

Calhoun nodded. "Good job."

"Who's next?" Ralph asked as he staggered off.

Calhoun took his place. "Might as well get it over with," she muttered.

She saw Vanellope grinning. "What?"

"Nothing," Vanellope replied too quickly. "I just had a great idea."

"Vanellope-" Ralph began, but he was too late. She was already darting from drawer to drawer and from square to square. Unlike Ralph, Calhoun stood still as a statue through it all, completely unfazed – until Vanellope had finished, that is.

"Well?"

Vanellope couldn't keep her face straight. Neither could Ralph. Their mouths wobbled, they sniggered, and finally they collapsed with laughter.

Calhoun looked ridiculous. Her outfit was every shade of pink: bright pink jacket, shocking pink trousers, light pink socks, dark pink trainers and a pink-and-white candy-striped bobble hat. She could have been a Barbie doll if she actually looked happy.

"Really?" she sighed. "Really?!"

Her words only made Ralph and Vanellope laugh even more.

Calhoun picked up Vanellope and plonked her on the turntable. "I'll have my revenge," she said. She frowned at the drawers. Her hands darted over the options, and only at the end of it did she crack a smile.

Vanellope was now decked out in bright shades of blue (almost turquoise) and garish orange. You didn't have to see her outfit to know that those colours would not go well together.

Vanellope folded her arms. "At least your pinks don't clash!"

. . .

The pod taxied just above the ground and stopped at the foot of Diet Cola Mountain. The three characters climbed out and trudged through the snow towards the sugar-free lollipops. Vanellope was the first to pass through the wall, followed by Ralph and then Calhoun.

"What makes you think he'd be here?" Calhoun asked Vanellope.

"Trust me," Vanellope explained, "if there's a perfect place for anyone who's a little weird and wants to be alone, it's Diet Cola Mountain."

Everyone took small baby steps across the icy floor. Approaching the hot springs, they gasped together. Instead of Mentos dropping into the cola lava, shiny stalactites hung from above. The pool of once-broiling-hot Diet Cola had become an ice rink. Frozen cola droplets glistened like Christmas lights. As Ralph ducked under an arch, he knocked a strand and made them tinkle like chimes.

"I never thought winter could look like this," he whispered.

"Me neither!" said a voice like Vanellope's. "It's beautiful, isn't it? But it's so white. Do we have to bleach the joy out of it all?"

Ralph raised an eyebrow at his little companion. Her mouth had stayed closed. She raised an eyebrow back, just as baffled as him.

The rambling continued. "I'm thinking a little crimson over here, some royal blue over there . . . and how about a bit of yellow? Wait, no, no way. Yellow and snow? Yuck!"

The voice wandered up behind the group. Ralph and Calhoun looked down. A snow-girl with a ponytail and a blue baseball cap looked up. "Don't you agree?"

Calhoun screamed. Army reflexes took over and she kicked the snow-girl's head. It flew off her body into Ralph's hands.

The head still smiled. "Hello!"

Ralph held her at arm's length. "You're creepy." He reached out to Calhoun. "You take it."

"What? No!"

"It's just a head."

"Exactly."

The snow-girl's body ran in circles, arms waving. "We got off to a bad start, didn't we?" her head said. "Put my head back and let's start again."

Ralph promptly dropped the head. The snow-girl's body caught it and repositioned it. "Now I'm perfect."

"Almost." Vanellope held up an ice cream cone – just as the snow-girl turned around. The cone slammed through her head.

The snow-girl went cross-eyed when she spotted a tiny piece of cone poking through. "Wow, thanks! I always wanted a nose. Aww, isn't that cute? It's like a baby unicorn."

The bulk of the cone stuck out of the back of her head. Vanellope pushed it through. At first the snow-girl's eyes widened in alarm, but when the bigger nose emerged the smile quickly returned. "I like it even more now."

She scampered about, sniffing the air. Her face suddenly wrinkled in disgust. "What is that stink?" She crept towards Ralph. "Oh, it's just the big guy."

Ralph sniffed his armpits. "Is it that bad?"

The snow-girl opened her mouth again, but then quickly shook her head. "Where are my manners? Okay, I'll try again. I'm Vanellsa Von Arendelle and I like warm hugs."

She opened her arms out wide. Vanellope dove in and returned the hug. "Nice to meet you, Vanellsa."

"And you are?"

The girls pulled apart.

"Oh, yeah. Vanellope Von Schweetz, President of Sugar Rush."

Vanellsa immediately curtseyed.

Vanellope blushed. "Come on, you don't need to do that." She turned to her friends. "The woman who kicked you is Sergeant Tamora Jean Calhoun from _Hero's Duty_. And the big smelly guy is Wreck-It Ralph from _Fix-It Felix Jr._"

Vanellsa gasped. "Felix? That's the man who built me!"

"He is?" Ralph whipped the cap off Vanellsa's head. Sure enough, the letters _FF_ were printed on a yellow square. "This is his hat."

Vanellsa snatched it back. "I thought it was mine."

"Well, what did you think _FF_ stood for?" Calhoun asked.

Vanellsa shrugged. "_Frozen and Fabulous_. That's me to a T. Or an F." She sniggered.

"So Felix built you?" Ralph asked.

"Yeah. Why?"

Ralph knelt down. "Does that mean you know where he is?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"Can you show us the way?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"Because we're going to bring back summer," Vanellope declared.

"Summer?" Vanellsa turned away, gazing wistfully into space. "I don't know why, but I've always wanted to see summer."

"Really?" Calhoun folded her arms. "I'm guessing you don't have much experience with heat."

Vanellsa shook her head. "Nope! But sometimes I like to imagine what'll happen when summer does come." She closed her eyes. "Maybe I'll be skipping through a grassy meadow –" she walked blindly towards the ice rink "– or maybe I'll be lying on the burning sand at the beach, with a cool drink in my hand." She flopped onto her back on the frozen Diet Cola, sighed, and then got up again. She glided in circles. "Perhaps I'll sail away in a boat and the summer breeze will take me to new lands. And I'll make friends with other snowmen – no, sandmen! They'll see me and think I'm so cool." She laughed and kicked up her heels. "I'll tap dance with seagulls, and then drink hot chocolate in a hot tub to wind down. 'Cause, you know, winter's great for staying inside, but in summer I'll be. . ."

"A puddle?" Calhoun mumbled.

"A truly happy snow-girl!" Vanellsa cried. "It's gonna be rough, but if I hold on to my dream, then someday I'll be under a blue sky, having a picnic with you guys. . ." She paused. "And I'll finally find out what happens to solid water when it gets warm!"

Vanellsa opened her eyes and spotted the other characters, who were simply staring at her. "Well, what are you waiting for?" she asked. "Let's go bring back summer!"

She grabbed Vanellope's hand and scampered off. "Felix is this way!" she called.

Ralph and Calhoun watched them go, but still didn't move.

"I'm gonna tell her," said Calhoun.

"Don't you dare!" hissed Ralph. He ran after the girls.

Calhoun thought they were all nuts. _Somebody's gotta tell her. _

. . .

Like a light in the dark, Sour Bill moved through the crowd of candy citizens. "Who needs cloaks?" he droned, using his usual dreary tone of voice.

At once, anthropomorphic popcorn, peppermints and Push Pops crowded around, snatching candy wrappers from Wynnchel and Duncan's wheelbarrows. The "Thank yous" were endless.

The racers also approached. Taffyta Muttonfudge led them, storming up to Sour Bill with a face like thunder. "Why are you giving away blankets to tiny little pieces of candy when the actual _racers_ only have Candlehead's measly candle?"

"Vanellope put me in charge and-"

"And that's another thing. Has anyone considered the possibility that Vanellope might be flying all over the place looking for a wizard because she wants to destroy us all? The cold could've gotten to her brain!" Taffyta screeched.

"Whoa, girl!" Gloyd put a hand on Taffyta's shoulder. "I think the cold is getting to _your_ brain. Have a lollipop." He offered her a strawberry heart on a stick, but she glared at him and didn't take it.

Just then, the crowd parted. The Sorceress, now in a royal-blue velvet dress and fur coat, passed through. She was followed by ten creatures. They all had pointy ears, yellow skin and hunched backs. They were all bald, their heads covered in brown liver spots. They all carried weapons. They all wore nothing but torn brown leather around their waists. They were all chattering their teeth and shivering.

Mutters spread among the citizens of _Sugar Rush_.

"Isn't she Ralph's girlfriend?"

"What's happened?"

"Why is she here?"

The Sorceress's voice rung out loud and clear. "My trolls cannot cope with this weather – and neither can anyone else in this arcade. Sitting back and doing nothing has not helped; if anything, the weather is worse than before. If we're not careful, characters could die. No characters, no games. No games. . ." her eyes narrowed into slits ". . . no arcade."

The anxiety of the NPCs reached new levels. They shook not just with the cold, but with fear. A few even screamed. The recolours, close to crying, hugged each other.

"We cannot allow that to happen," the Sorceress continued. "It's about time someone took action, and fast." She focused her gaze on the Ice Cream Mountains. "That's why I will be heading out in search of Felix myself. But I need volunteers! And they must be prepared for anything!"

Candies rushed over, still clutching their cloaks. The Sorceress led them through the castle gates. She bent down and whispered in one troll's ear, making him grin.

"When we find Fix-It Felix Jr., we are going to put an end to this winter once and for all."


	9. Chapter 9: Finding Felix

**Author's Note: I've just got back from my holiday in Switzerland. It. Was. GREAT! I did so many exciting things, which is why the story hasn't been updated for a while. One day I took a train up the Jungfrau to the highest accessible point in Europe. There's a section called the Ice Palace which is full of cool sculptures. It was the perfect place to pretend to be Elsa – or in my case, Felix. :) Enjoy the next chapter! **

**By the way, have you seen the YouTube video by Sam Tsui, "Let It Go/Let Her Go"? It's a mash-up of "Let It Go" from "Frozen" and "Let Her Go" by Passenger. It's so cool – check it out! **

Chapter Nine: Finding Felix

"_To love and to cherish. . ." the priest's voice boomed across the church. _

"_To love and to cherish. . ." Calhoun echoed. _

"_Till power cut do us part," the priest finished. _

"_Till power cut do us part." _

_All the guests seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. One side of the aisle was full to the brim with _Hero's Duty_ soldiers, all aiming their guns at the giant stained glass window – just in case. The Nicelanders and other video game characters sat on the other side. Calhoun's eyes drifted to the window. Red laser dots danced across it, searching for Cy-Bugs. _

_She looked down again at Felix; again she was struck by his cuteness and the fact that he was still alive. So far, her second wedding was going better than her first. _

_The ring exchange came next. _

_It didn't start well when the best man Ralph dropped one of the rings. He desperately scrabbled around, luckily scooping it up before it could roll down the steps. He blew some dust off and handed it over to the priest. _

_Felix gestured for Calhoun to lean in. "I'll have that one if you want," he whispered. Obviously not quietly enough, because the guests started sniggering. _

_The red dots were rearranged to form the shape of two linked circles. Now the priest held out the rings on a pillow. Calhoun took off her fingerless gloves and picked up the ring that had not been on the floor. Felix went for the other. _

"_Sir?" the priest whispered to him. "The gloves?" _

_Felix hesitated. He took a shaky breath and slipped his gloves off as well. His hand trembled as he placed them on the pillow and took the ring. _

_Calhoun frowned. What was up with him? She barely heard the priest speaking as she watched her husband. A few beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. He swallowed and took her hand in his. His fingers were cold and sticky. _

"_Tamora Jean Calhoun. . ." he started in a wobbly voice. His eyes met hers. _

_Whatever was going on, Calhoun couldn't let him worry any more. Her frown quickly turned into a smile. _

_As it happened, the nerves on Felix's face seemed to soften and disappear. He welcomed the smile with an even bigger grin and began to speak more confidently. "I give you this ring as a symbol of our vows, and with all that I am, and all that I have, I honour you." The ring slid onto Calhoun's finger with ease. _

_It was her turn now. Just as she was about to speak, their bridesmaid Vanellope interrupted. _

"Hello? Anyone in there?"

Jolted out of her daydream by a tug on her arm, Calhoun shook Vanellope off. "Huh? What's going on?"

"Vanellsa's been helpfully yelling directions and you haven't listened to a word," Vanellope told her.

"Oh." Calhoun braked and let the space pod hover. "Sorry. My mind was elsewhere."

"Was it a nice place?" Ralph asked.

"Mine and Felix's wedding."

Vanellsa sighed. "I love weddings. They're so romantic. And they do nice cake."

"Ralph, how long has Felix had his powers?" Calhoun asked.

"I don't know," Ralph replied. "I guess he could've always been like that. I mean, _I've_ never seen him take his gloves off. Now we have a reason why."

"But at the wedding. . ." Calhoun paused. "He took 'em off for the rings, and nothing happened. No ice, no snow, nothing. So how come he waits until now to go cuckoo?"

"He hasn't gone cuckoo," Ralph insisted. "He panicked and then everything got out of hand. Literally."

"Well, why wasn't he panicking at the wedding?" Vanellope asked.

"Maybe," Vanellsa wondered, "something happened that made him remember why he was there – to start spending the rest of his life with the woman he loved. Perhaps that squashed any fear he had."

"If I was marrying Calhoun, I think I'd be even more terrified!" Ralph laughed, and Vanellope joined in.

"Mrs Calhoun?" Vanellsa asked.

"It's _Sergeant_ Calhoun."

"Sergeant Calhoun?" Vanellsa adjusted her cap. "If Felix built me, and he's married to you . . . does that make you my mother?"

Calhoun gave her a sideways glance. "One thing at a time, kid. Now where's Felix?"

. . .

"Down there!" Vanellsa yelled. "Right where it says his name!"

The pod swooped towards the ground and slowed near the _FELIX_ in the mountainside. The characters climbed out.

What stood before them was just like the Nicelanders' apartment complex in Ralph's game.

And yet it wasn't.

Instead of red bricks, the walls were made of layer upon layer of giant blocks of ice. Pixelated snowdrops poked out of the window boxes, and the windows themselves were translucent thanks to layers of frost. The whole building was blocky and awkward, like most 8-bit creations – but it also held an undeniable elegance.

Ralph, Vanellope, Calhoun and Vanellsa approached with open mouths.

"Whoa," Ralph breathed.

"It's beautiful," whispered Vanellsa.

"And look at the sign!" Vanellope gasped, pointing to the (N)ICELAND on the archway. "It's (N)Iceland! Get it?" She sniggered. "Like Niceland, but made of ice, so it's Iceland? Heh, heh, (N)Iceland?!"

"We get it," said Ralph.

The characters started to climb the steps. Calhoun admired the banister. "I can see myself." She peered in closer. "Is that a pimple on my chin?" She realised what she was saying and silently scolded herself for focusing on pimples at a time like this.

By now Ralph was at the light blue double doors. He held up a fist to knock, but couldn't bring himself to do it.

"Just knock," Vanellsa ordered.

Ralph still hesitated. It wasn't just fear of wrecking the doors that stopped his hand – it was the nagging sceptic inside him, telling him that Felix might not answer. After all, he had never really opened up to him before.

"Do you even know how to knock?" Vanellsa grumbled. She leapt up and semi-punched a door herself. It opened unaided as the hollow sound echoed inside.

"That's a first," Ralph muttered, taking a step inside. "Say, um. . ." He turned to face the others. "Do we really want to do this now?"

"You're not chickening out, are you?" Vanellope asked.

"No, no, of course not," Ralph rushed, "I just realised how . . . how hungry I was. Can't go in on an empty stomach."

"Well, what are you gonna eat out here?" Vanellope scoffed. "_Snow_?"

"You can _drink_ snow if you melt it," said Calhoun.

"Melt it?" said Vanellsa.

Calhoun avoided her gaze.

An awkward silence descended. It was Ralph who broke it. "Kid," he explained, "when snow heats up, it turns into water. That's what melting is."

"Oh." Vanellsa bit her trembling lip. "I don't want to melt." She craned her neck to the top of the Ice Cream Mountains. "Maybe I don't want summer either."

"Aww, don't say that!" Vanellope put an arm around her chilly companion. "You shouldn't let a little thing like melting get in the way of your dreams-"

"You can talk!" Vanellsa wriggled out of Vanellope's hold. "You don't have to worry about turning into water when-" She gasped. "That's it! If I was a real girl, I could still see summer!" She ran inside, dashing past Ralph towards the elevator. "If I ask nicely, maybe Felix will make me a real girl!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Ralph yelped, pulling her back by her hoodie (which was sculpted from snow, just like the rest of her). "Let me talk to him alone before we all come in and start asking for big favours."

"But – but-"

"Just give us a minute, okay?"

"Sure."

Ralph sat Vanellsa down on the steps outside and continued his search. "Put in a good word for me!" Vanellsa called after him.

. . .

Ralph left the elevator and found himself on a shiny floor. He slipped a little, but managed to steady himself. The pale blue wallpaper in the foyer was patterned with a mixture of thin stripes and _Tetris_-style squares. Yet another set of doors stood before Ralph, this time half-open and in a shade of bright white. Snow-globes of various sizes lined the walls in neatly-arranged display cabinets, detailing scenes from every game in the arcade. The place was impressive but eerie.

"Hello?" Ralph called out. "Felix? It's me, Ralph!"

A small figure stepped out. "Ralph."

Ralph did a double-take. Patches of snow stuck to Felix's shoes. His shirt and trousers were the same shade as the ice around him. They were adorned with tiny, shiny squares and circles. Any other man wearing so many sequins would look weird, but Felix was not any other man. Felix had completely changed, and Ralph said so.

"You look different."

Felix just stared at him.

"It's a good different," Ralph added. "And this place is so cool."

"Thank you," Felix replied, politely, cautiously. "I never knew I could do stuff like this."

Ralph took a step forward. "Listen, I owe you an apology for what happened at the party. I shouldn't have-"

"It's fine, Ralph," Felix stopped him. "You have nothing to apologise for." He clasped his hands together. "But maybe you should go."

"I just got here," Ralph said, half-laughing as he spoke.

"Someone has to keep an eye on the game. For the Nicelanders."

"Why don't you go back then?" Ralph snapped. "The game needs you as much as it needs me." He pointed at Felix with a tubby finger that was shaking with rage. He was so mad, he almost forgot about the snow outside. "Your name's on the front of the console! You can't just run away like this. If you're not in the game when Mr Litwak gets home-"

"Ralph!" Felix backed up. "I get it. I promise I'll come back before then." He stared straight ahead, past Ralph, as if he was drifting away. "But for now I need to stay here. Where I can learn to control my powers. Where I can be myself. Where I don't have to worry about hurting anybody."

Ralph adjusted the collar of his jacket. "Yeah, uh, about that-"

_Ping!_ The elevator doors parted to reveal Vanellsa, panting and clutching something shiny. "Ralph . . . I know what you said," she panted, "but I got bored . . . so I went exploring . . . and I found this." She held out a golden hammer to Felix. "Is it yours?"

"Oh, yes, it is," said Felix, blinking in surprise at his own creation. He felt Ralph's eyes drilling into him. "How'd I lose that?" he chuckled nervously. He took it and slotted it into his tool belt.

Vanellsa waited. "And you say. . ."

"Thank you!" Felix remembered. "Miss . . . I didn't catch your name."

"I didn't throw it out there. I'm Vanellsa Von Arendelle and I like warm hugs."

She spread her arms out. Felix's eyes were as wide as saucers.

"You built me," Vanellsa prompted. Her arms dropped to her sides. "Remember?"

"And you're alive?"

Vanellsa's reply seemed more like another question than an answer. "Um . . . I think so?"

Ralph knelt down beside Vanellsa. "Remember how we always built snowmen when we were kids? None as good as this little girl, but hey." He patted her back. "I know it's only a backstory, but we were so close, Felix. There's no reason why we can't be like that for real."

Felix almost smiled. But then. . .

Ralph's colossal hand brought back all the memories. They came thick and fast, like snowflakes made of pain, each scene hurting him more than the last.

_The frozen blast splitting mid-air. . ._

_Slamming into Ralph's hands. . . _

"_Ow!" _

_Ralph falling to the ground, unconscious. . . _

"_Ralph!" _

_Ralph's hands covered with frost. . . _

_The rest of his body turning cold and stiffening. . . _

_Later . . . Ralph's hands glowing, growing, expanding. . . _

"_An unavoidable side-effect, I'm afraid." _

_Mr Trollman's fierce voice blasting in Felix's ears. . . _

"_Your powers . . . you must learn to control them." _

Felix's face fell. "There is, Ralph. My powers are too strong now. Soon I'd end up hurting you."

"But I-"

"_Please_, Ralph." Felix looked at him desperately. The air chilled around him. "I'm trying to protect you." He ran into the penthouse and down the steps towards the balcony.

"You don't have to protect me, I'm not scared of you!" Ralph followed Felix. "Whatever's happened, we can sort it out – together. You don't have to worry anymore, because you have me."

Felix stopped and faced Ralph again. "Thanks for trying. But I really, _really_ need to be alone for a while." He opened the balcony doors. "Go, and you'll be safe from me."

Ralph cleared his throat. "Not exactly."

Felix raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean, not exactly?"

"I guess you don't know?"

"Don't know what?"

Ralph motioned towards the view of white-peaked mountains. "About the arcade being very, very, very . . . very . . . snowy?"

Felix was still. "What did you say?"

"You've kind of set off an eternal winter. In every game."

"Every game?" Felix still didn't move.

"Hey, it's okay, you can just-" Ralph smashed the steps. "Oops. You can just unfreeze it, right?"

Felix shook his head, first slowly, then more violently. "No. No, I can't. I don't know how."

Snow began to twirl around the room.

"Sure you can," Ralph asserted, "because I believe you can. We'll reverse the storm somehow."

The swirling snow became a blizzard. Ralph was losing sight of Felix. But his brother's voice was still loud and clear: "Ralph, stop, you're making it worse!"

"Don't panic!" Ralph yelled, trying to get through to him.

"I can't help it!"

"It's gonna be fine."

"Not if you don't get out!"

Ralph searched for the handyman, but the storm was taking over the room. "I'm not going without you! What is it you stay at the start of every game? You can fix it!"

"NO, I CAN'T!"

With that scream, Felix's fear, so strong, stronger than Ralph, sucked the snow back inside him and then spat it out again, like a knife made of ice.

The blade pierced Ralph's heart.


	10. Chapter 10: A Frozen Heart

**Author's Note: One small problem I have with "Frozen" is that Anna never recovers her memories of Elsa using her powers as a child. That's an issue that I think should have been resolved before the end of the film; otherwise it would just make Anna and Elsa's final reconciliation more difficult. How can you solve a problem when one of you can't remember what caused it? So I want Ralph to find out his backstory in this chapter. I hope that's okay with you all. :) **

**Oh, and thanks for the lovely review, Larxillyan! :D **

Chapter Ten: A Frozen Heart

A cold, cold bomb exploded in Ralph's heart. Clutching his chest, he stumbled back, tripped and fell. The floor cracked under his weight.

Vanellsa rushed to his side, closely followed by Vanellope and Calhoun.

"Are you all right?" Vanellsa asked.

Ralph only just heard her above the ringing in his ears. The fallout of the bomb was spreading through his body, burning everything in its path. The urge to cry out was unbearable.

"I'm fine," he replied. He crawled to his feet, determined to hide the pain. He glared at Felix.

But Felix wasn't looking at Ralph; he was gaping at his wife, all dressed in pink. "What are _you_ doing here? Wait, don't answer that. You have to go."

"Give us a chance, Fix-It," Calhoun barked.

"Why should I?" Felix's voice rose. "Do you know how to stop this winter, Tammy, or how to stop me?" He pointed to Vanellope. "What about you? Any ideas?"

Vanellope heard a strange noise and looked up. Spiky shadows crept down the walls. Glancing back at Felix, she noticed that one eye was twitching. She took one of Ralph's hands. "Um, maybe we should do what he says and hightail it outta here."

Ralph started to say, "But we haven't even-"

"Get out." Despite his vicious scowl and bared teeth, Felix's voice betrayed no emotion.

"Felix-"

"I said GET OUT!"

All of a sudden, a menacing bulldozer-like structure shot out from Felix's finger and crashed into the four intruders, pushing them out of the penthouse. Ralph tried to resist, but the pain seemed to have taken his strength. The bulldozer smashed a hole in the wall, and the characters tumbled down the side of the apartment complex.

The all screamed –

– and landed in something thick and soft.

Ralph found himself buried up to his shoulders in the pile of snow. He laughed so much his hat fell off. "I'm not dead!" he cheered.

"That's great, but. . ." Vanellsa's upper half shook Vanellope's boots, which stuck out of the pile. "I CAN'T FEEL MY LEGS!" she yelled.

Vanellope's head popped up. "Those are _my_ legs," she said, spitting out a mouthful of snow.

Just then, Vanellsa's bottom half ran past. "Hey, get back here!" She pounced on her own legs and hoisted herself up. She sighed. "That feels so much better." She looked around. "Wait a minute. Where's Sergeant Calhoun?"

Someone grabbed Ralph by the armpits and hoisted him out. He turned and saw the lady herself.

"You're very strong," said Ralph.

"Thanks."

Calhoun's bobble hat had flown away, exposing a deep purple bruise. Ralph was shocked. "What happened to your head?" He touched it gingerly.

Calhoun jerked away, and Ralph immediately apologised. "It's fine, don't worry about me," she told him. "I've got a thick skull."

"I don't have a skull," said Vanellsa. She paused. "Or bones."

For a while, no-one said anything else. Vanellope coughed. "So, what do we do now?"

"What do we do now?" Ralph echoed. He panicked. "What do we do now?! He threw us out! He'll never let us help him now. But we can't go back with the weather like this. And then there's the rest of the arcade-"

"And your hair," Calhoun butted in.

"Huh?" Ralph smoothed it down. "You should see _your_ hair. You look like Lisa Simpson."

"No, your hair is turning white."

Sure enough, one of Ralph's spikes, once brown, was paling until it was the same shade as the freshly-fallen snow around them. "Why is it doing that?"

"It's because he hurt you, isn't it?" said Vanellope.

Calhoun set off towards the pod. "Come on, Wreck-It. You need help."

"It's not that bad, surely?"

"I'm not just thinking about your hair. You don't know what might be coming next. It's like surviving a lightning strike. One minute you think a few scars are the only side-effects, the next you die of a heart attack."

"But who can help?" Vanellsa wondered.

Ralph shivered.

. . .

In the apartment basement in _Fix-It Felix Jr._. . .

A spider-web of glowing threads connected endless vault-like boxes. Each contained a code and was marked with a picture and a label. But something stood out: a brown wooden chest floating off on its own.

Ralph's shivering also shook the chest. The golden lock dropped off with a clatter. The lid burst open and another box escaped. It was pale blue and carried the icon of a silhouette and its brain. The text read, "MEMORIES OF MAGIC."

Strings of new connections poured out, all linking up to one code. It was in a black box carrying an 8-bit image of an angry man with bared teeth and spiky hair. The code belonged to "WRECK-IT RALPH."

. . .

Back in _Sugar Rush_. . .

A spark passed over Ralph's eyes. "Whoa." Strange sounds and even stranger scenes flooded into his mind.

"Are you okay?" Vanellope was staring at him.

Ralph waited for his brain to settle. Then he turned to his friends. "I know where we need to go."

. . .

The pod pulled up by the balcony and hovered. Ralph, Vanellope, Calhoun and Vanellsa ran into the penthouse again – this time in _Fix-It Felix Jr._

All the Nicelanders were standing around tucking into slices of pie. Mary rushed over. "Ralph! You're back!" She held out a steaming dish of sweet-smelling pastry. "Would you like a Don't-Worry-Pie? It's my special relaxation recipe."

Vanellsa drooled.

"Maybe later," said Ralph. "Where's Gene?"

No sooner were the words out of his mouth than he spotted Gene pushing his way through the munching Nicelanders. "Is Felix with you?" he asked straight away.

"Nice to see you too," Ralph replied. "And no, he's not."

"But you were supposed to-"

"He made it very clear that he wasn't going anywhere," Calhoun interrupted.

Gene approached Ralph, but quickly backed away. "You're so cold. Has he struck you?"

"Right in the heart." Ralph hit his chest. "That's why we came back. Your dad did something before that helped; can't you do it again?"

"I'll try." Gene set off towards a small shelf, but spun around again when he got there. "Wait a minute, how do you know about that?"

"I-" Ralph shivered again, more violently this time. More strands of hair shifted from brown to white. "I don't know how I know."

The Nicelanders whispered to each other in concerned voices.

Gene returned with a thick leather-bound book and opened it at the back. "It must be in here somewhere," he muttered to himself, running his finger down an index written in an old-fashioned font. "Ice, ice, ice . . . here it is. Ice. Development of powers, effects on local weather patterns – got it! Removal from body, 219." He flicked to that page.

"It was the heart," Vanellsa prompted, as if Gene might have short-term memory loss.

Gene read the page, at first with quick darting eyes, than more slowly. "Um, guys? Bad news. According to this book, the heart is the worst place to be struck by ice. If it isn't all removed, you'll freeze to solid ice. Forever."

"Sweet mercy!" Meg yelped. "Without Ralph, we're doomed!"

The Nicelanders gasped and ate their pies faster.

"No," Ralph breathed.

"Well, get it out, then!" Vanellope insisted.

"I can't," said Gene. "If it was in the head or the hands or somewhere like that, it would be easy. But look what the book says."

Ralph, Vanellope, Calhoun and Vanellsa leaned in and read the sentence out loud:

"Only an act of true love can thaw a frozen heart."

They looked up. Vanellope raised an eyebrow. "What does it mean?"

"A true love's kiss, perhaps?" Mary suggested. A bunch of Nicelanders gave each other frantic smooches.

Vanellope's eyes lit up. "That's it! Ralph, we gotta get you to the Sorceress!"

"The Sorceress. . ." Another needle of pain pierced Ralph. He groaned. "Of course."

"Let's move 'em out." Calhoun guided Ralph towards the pod and shoved him inside. Within seconds it was zooming through the night sky. Cheers of "Good luck" from the Nicelanders filled the air.

"Let's go kiss the Sorceress!" Vanellsa whooped. "And then I can ask her who she is."


	11. Chapter 11: Apartment Ambush

**Author's Note: Just for clarification, the iPop at the end of the chapter is supposed to be the **_**Sugar Rush**_** version of an iPod – it's a play on words, like an iPod and a lollipop. Enjoy! :) **

Chapter Eleven: Apartment Ambush

Felix didn't notice the others leaving. He was climbing up to the roof, which had an ice rink instead of a swimming pool. He formed a tiny snowball in his palm and put it on the ground.

"Okay," he said to himself, "if I can just unfreeze this snowball, I'll know I can stop this whole winter."

He waited for a few long seconds, and then held a hand over the snowball. "And . . . thaw!"

Nothing happened.

"And, thaw!"

Still nothing.

Felix sighed. "Come on, up and out." He raised his hand. A tiny stalagmite of ice rose from the snowball.

"No," said Felix through gritted teeth, "not like that!"

But the spike only grew bigger and faster.

"Stop it!"

By now it was as tall as a tree. Sharp branches spread out – a few heading towards Felix.

Felix tried to stay calm. "Conceal, d-d-d-don't f-f-feel," he stammered. "Don't f-feel. Don't . . . FEEL!"

It was hard not to feel when a pointy twig was threatening to impale him. At the last minute he dived back through the stairwell and tumbled into the penthouse again.

_This is hopeless. I couldn't get rid of one tiny snowball. What am I –? _

An orange glow in the window caught his eye.

. . .

The Sorceress approached the apartment complex hesitantly, with quiet footsteps. Behind her was a line of ten trolls, closely followed by candies carrying marshmallow torches. They gathered around their leader.

"Our purpose is to find Felix," she told them. "That is all. Be on your guard, by all means, but no harm is to come to him." _At least, not now,_ she thought.

Two particularly bulky trolls rolled their eyes. "Yeah, right," one of them muttered. He slammed his mallet into the palm of his hand. "I'm gonna whack him. Whack him good."

His friend sneered.

The Sorceress called out, "Felix? Are you there? Come out with your hands up."

There was no reply.

"We're not going anywhere," she continued. "We'll wait all day if we have to. We could even melt this place if that's what it took."

Right on cue, a gang of anthropomorphic heart lollipops marched up the steps with their burning marshmallows. They stood in a line along the left-hand side.

"This negotiation is gonna take forever," the second bulky troll moaned. He noticed someone peeping through the balcony doors. Could it be . . .?

"It's him!"

He and his friend dashed past the lollipops into the building.

"What are you doing?" the Sorceress screeched.

But the surrounding candies hindered her movement, and the trolls were too fast for her. Soon they were charging into the penthouse, mallets raised.

Felix swung round. "Trolls?! Jiminy jaminy, this day can't get any worse."

"Oh, yes, it can!" the first troll chuckled. He lobbed his mallet at Felix. But a frozen screen stopped its flight just inches from Felix's face.

The troll growled and scrambled over the minibar, hoping for another shot. Felix spotted him in the corner of his eye; in two swift moves the troll was trapped against the wall by a cage of spikes. Two threatened to poke his eyes out. "Pointy," he squeaked.

The second troll crept along the other wall until he was right behind the handyman. Felix felt hot breaths on his neck. He threw his free hand up, forming a wall of ice. A rushing wind pushed it back against the balcony doors. They cracked and shattered.

At the same time, another set of doors burst open. The Sorceress found herself in a scene of destruction. One troll was close to being blinded, the other about to fall from a great height.

"Felix!" she shouted. "Don't be the monster they think you are!"

The wind died down.

Silence.

Felix gawked at the two trolls who had been moments from death. He looked to the Sorceress. "I didn't want to fight," he whimpered.

Outside, it was a different story.

Meltwater dribbled down the wall where the marshmallow-wielding lollipops were poised for action. They were pushed aside by the eight remaining trolls. One poked the wall and ended up with a wet finger. "It's weaker," he confirmed. "Let's whack it!"

All eight trolls drove their mallets into the wall at the same time. The ice smashed like glass. The whole building juddered, leaned over and began to fall on its side. Both candies and trolls screamed and ran away.

Felix was flung backwards. He scrambled for safety. "Help!"

Two blue-skinned arms snatched him.

The last thing Felix heard before he blacked out was the sound of shattering ice.

. . .

Felix's eyes fluttered open. He groggily lifted his head. He was surrounded by brown stone.

_Where am I? _

He sat up and noticed that he had been lying on a bright pink bench. White light filtered through a barred window. Felix tried to stand up, but was pulled taught by giant shackles fitting his hands like iron gloves. He was chained to the floor.

Felix strained to peer out. _Sugar Rush_ was frozen solid, and the falling snow buried it even more. "Oh my land," he gulped.

"Our thoughts exactly."

Felix leapt out of his skin. An éclair and a doughnut – Wynnchel and Duncan, he thought their names were – had entered his cell.

"What am I doing in the Fungeon?" Felix asked.

"The Sorceress put you here," Wynnchel explained. "She wasn't about to let her trolls kill you."

"But I deserve it. I'm a danger to the arcade."

"And the real world," Duncan added. "Check this out."

He showed Felix a video on his iPop.

"By the time the fifth fire engine arrived at the scene, the cat had found its own way down the tree," a female human droned. "In other, more interesting news, the frozen phenomenon at Litwak's Family Fun Centre continues to amaze the world."

The video flashed up a picture of the arcade, now adorned with icicles. Snow drifted from a fluffy, low-lying, white cloud and settled in the parking lot.

"Scientists are still clueless as to how and why the sudden cold weather has chosen to manifest itself here," the newsreader continued. "While some are fascinated by the event and liken it to something out of Disney's 'Frozen,' others already fear the coming of a second Ice Age. The arcade's owner, Stan Litwak, currently on vacation in Brazil, called us earlier today with this message."

An all-too-familiar portrait of Mr Litwak filled the screen. According to the audio clip, he was "taking the first flight home. If something's wrong with the arcade, I wanna see it for myself. I care about my games like I care about my nana."

The newsreader added, "You can hear more about the 'Freezing Fun Centre' on our website-"

Duncan paused the video.

The colour drained from Felix's cheeks. "What have I done?"

"Whatever it is," said Duncan, "it's out of control. You have to unfreeze the arcade."

"I've tried!" Felix snapped. "And I can't." He collapsed on the bench. Wynnchel and Duncan exchanged sad looks.

Suddenly, Felix had an idea. "Where's Ralph?"

Wynnchel shrugged. "We haven't seen him."

"I need to find Ralph. Tell the Sorceress to let me go."

Wynnchel saw the desperation in Felix's eyes. "We'll give it a shot, but . . . no guarantees."

The doughnut cops left, locking the thick chocolate door behind them. Felix was alone again.

His shackles iced over. The storm outside worsened.


	12. Chapter 12: True Love's Kiss?

Chapter Twelve: True Love's Kiss?

Charging into the _Wak-A-Troll_, the pod soared through burgundy clouds towards what could only be called a fortress. Turrets made of black brick rose from the summit of a volcano, which was leaking lava and painting the snow red.

Ralph slumped down in his seat, leaning his head against the window. By now one half of his hair was white, as if he were a distant relation of Cruella De Vil. He saw the fortress, but he was in no state to take it all in. His head pounded. Occasionally he shivered.

Vanellope hugged him. "Hang in there, Stinkbrain," she whispered.

Ralph couldn't help but smile at the nickname.

The pod swerved to a halt in front of a wooden drawbridge, which collapsed immediately as if it had been waiting for their arrival. A group of slightly confused trolls stood before them.

Calhoun got out first, with Ralph in tow and Vanellope by his side. Vanellsa stayed in the pod, out of sight.

A troll with an eye-patch pulled a face. "Look, it's that dumb Bad Guy who thought he could save his brother."

Ralph didn't argue.

But a troll with his arm in a sling did. "Not as dumb as you. What kind of moron tries to put out a fire with a flamethrower?"

"Says the troll who forgot his own name!"

"Oh, that's it!"

The argument descended into a brawl. Voices screeched. Mallets landed on heads. Others chanted, "Fight, fight, fight-"

"ENOUGH!" Calhoun bellowed. "While you're squabbling, this man needs help. Get him warm and find the Sorceress, NOW!"

"Aye-aye, Captain!" The trolls swept Ralph away into the fortress grounds. The women were shut out as the drawbridge closed on them.

Vanellsa emerged from her hiding place. "I hope he'll be all right," she said.

"Me too," Vanellope agreed.

. . .

The room was darker than Ralph was used to, thanks to the jet-black walls and the shadows created by the thick pillars. A giant circular fireplace took pride of place in the centre of the room, its smoke escaping through a hole in the domed roof. Three tall windows revealed a spectacular view of orange magma, brewing beneath two score display screens.

The Sorceress was at first sitting on a red couch, staring into the flames with tired eyes. But when the trolls entered with Ralph, she leapt to her feet and rushed to embrace him. He almost crushed her in his arms.

"Your skin is icy," she remarked.

"You have to kiss me."

The Sorceress pulled out of the hug. "What did you say?"

"Now." He took a step forwards, but she took a step back.

The trolls sniggered. "We'll give you guys some _privacy_," one drawled. They backed out one by one.

Ralph and the Sorceress were alone together.

"What happened?" the Sorceress asked. "Why do you need to kiss me?"

"Because Felix's powers . . . got me." Ralph couldn't call it an attack; it didn't feel right.

"But you insisted that Felix wasn't a monster."

"I know." Ralph was close to breaking point. "How could he . . .?" He didn't finish his question.

The Sorceress guided Ralph towards the couch. He started shivering again. "He f-f-f-froze my h-heart, and-and only an act of t-t-true love can s-s-save me."

"A true love's kiss," the Sorceress said immediately.

She understood. She took his chin in her hand and closed her eyes. Ralph did the same. She leaned in slowly, gently. . .

She stopped and smiled. "Such a shame, then, that no-one loves a Bad Guy."

Ralph opened his eyes. "What?"

The Sorceress walked to the windows and began closing the curtains. "A week before the Turbo/Cy-Bug incident," she explained, "the _Wak-A-Troll_ had on average six players a day, while _Fix-It Felix Jr._ had ten. A week after, my six players halved to three, whereas your ten players doubled to twenty." She stopped and turned back; a fire kindled in her eyes. "And it just got worse. Now there's always someone lining up to fix what you wreck, while I'm lucky to get one player in a week."

Ralph searched for words. "I know it's bad now, but-"

"I didn't stand a chance. Then one day, I realised that if one of the main characters was missing, the game would be unplugged, and your players would come crying to me. Being the Good Guy, Felix was the obvious candidate for seduction, but I wasn't getting anywhere while he was besotted with that violent thug."

"She's not a-"

"Then _you_ saw me-" she approached with a jug of water "-and you were so naïve that you asked me out just like that."

Ralph was silent.

The Sorceress chuckled. "I was plotting some sort of nasty accident to snuff out Felix as well, for good measure." She dumped the water onto the fireplace. The flames shrunk and died.

"No!" Ralph begged. He stood, hoping to stop her, but his legs gave way and he collapsed on the floor.

"Fortunately," the Sorceress continued, "Felix doomed himself with his own powers. And you, fool that you are, sealed your fate by looking for him and then letting him wound you. Now there's just one thing left to do."

"What?" Ralph feared the answer.

"Kill Felix and bring back summer."

"NO!"

"Yes," she cried. "I'll be the hero who saved the arcade! Oh, my sisters will thank me for this." She grinned, baring her pointy teeth. "Better still, _Fix-It Felix Jr._ will be no more! The _Wak-A-Troll_ will be the most popular game in Litwak's Family Fun Centre!"

Her laugh – her long, loud, maniacal laugh – was torture to Ralph. It seemed to last forever. When it ceased, he had only one thing to say.

"I may be a Bad Guy, but you are awful."

The Sorceress drove a stiletto heel into one of Ralph's fingers. "Just so you _don't_ think that," she spat, "I could have killed Felix when I first found him. But I waited, for you." She stood up. "Now you can die safe in the knowledge that you won't be lonely in Hell."

She wrenched her shoe free and left, leaving drops of Ralph's blood behind her. The door closed and locked.

"No," Ralph moaned, hoarse and weak. He winced; the pain was returning. "Help. Please."

The rest of Ralph's hair turned white.

. . .

There was only one piece of modern technology in the fortress: a telephone. The Sorceress keyed in the number with slender fingers and waited.

The Surge Protector answered on the second ring. "This better be good, 'cause I'm freezing to death here."

She swallowed. "That's actually why I'm calling," she croaked. "I have to report the death of a character."

Silence. Then, "I'm so sorry, I wasn't thinking straight. Um, who is it?"

The Sorceress used her most distraught voice. "Wreck-It Ralph. From the game _Fix-It Felix Jr._" She sniffed.

The Surge Protector gasped. "Do you know what happened?"

"Yes. He was murdered by. . ." She paused and sobbed for dramatic effect. "Felix."

"The same Felix that started this whole winter?"

The Sorceress nodded fervently, then realised that he couldn't see her. "That's right. He's a monster!" she suddenly wailed. "While he is alive, we are all in danger!" She was bordering on hysterical.

"Whoa, whoa, calm down. I realise that this must be upsetting for you, but we need to get the facts straight before we do anything. Meet me in Game Central Station," the Surge Protector told her. "It's probably better to discuss this in person. Don't worry about the body for now. We'll work something out."

"Thank you," she said, her voice heavy with fake emotion. She put the phone down, picked up her trusty trident and grinned. She had no intention of meeting the Surge Protector at all.

The laws of all arcades stated that if a character's game was still plugged in, the punishment for murder would be life imprisonment in their own games. But if someone as important as Ralph was dead, the game was obviously going to be unplugged. In that case, only capital punishment would do.

"_I saw him and I was so angry . . . what he'd done . . . I couldn't hold back my rage . . . he would have been executed anyway. . ._"

The perfect justification.

From her first meeting with Ralph, the Sorceress recalled the directions to _Sugar Rush_.


	13. Chapter 13: Worth Freezing For

**Author's Note: We're nearly at the end now! Thank you to everyone who's left a review, or favourited or followed this story. It makes me happy knowing that people like reading what I write. :D **

Chapter Thirteen: Worth Freezing For

Felix was tired of waiting. How long had it been since Wynnchel and Duncan left? It felt like hours. The storm raged on, devastating _Sugar Rush_. As Felix watched, his shackles froze even more – and cracked apart.

Felix's pleasant surprise was short-lived as he heard a woman talking outside his door. She had a British accent.

"We're going to stop him. Move quickly before he can attack."

Silence. Then jangling. Then the voices of the Doughnut Police.

"Oh, which key is it?"

"You knew it a minute ago."

Felix had to get out. He grabbed the first thing to hand – his hammer – and hit the window bars. They fortified, stronger.

"Why do I keep doing that?" Felix scolded himself under his breath. "Ralph would have-"

An idea formed in his mind. A block of ice shaped like a fist formed on his hand. "I'm gonna wreck it!" Felix growled in his best imitation of Ralph.

The fist crashed through the wall. . .

. . . just as a key slipped in the lock. The Sorceress, Wynnchel and Duncan entered to find the back wall blown open and broken shackles resting on the floor.

Felix was nowhere to be seen.

. . .

Ice overtook the ceiling. Ralph heard it, but didn't look up. He could barely move. He had no strength left. It wasn't just because of the deep red liquid on his finger, or the inescapable ice in his heart. It was because of the shame of what he'd caused.

The Sorceress was right; he _had_ been naïve. He had somehow assumed that because he still had some goodness in him, then the Sorceress would as well. But no, she was all bad. He had let himself fall into her trap. And when he tried to introduce her to Felix, it had helped to release a dangerous magic that would now be Felix's downfall.

Ralph felt weighed down by sadness and guilt.

Sadness because he was going to die.

Guilt because his brother was going to die.

The door handle jiggled, stopped, and then jiggled again.

"Who's there?" Ralph asked, in a voice that was only just audible.

_Click! _

The door swung open, an ice cream cone in the lock. "Success," Vanellsa smiled, putting the cone back on her face. Her joy disappeared when she saw Ralph lying on the floor with all-white hair. Without another word, she ran to the fireplace, threw on some fresh wood, struck a match and relit the fire. The flames grew until they were taller than her.

The orange light and its heat were comforting to Ralph, but a part of his brain was trying to warn him of something important. Then he realised.

"Vanellsa, get away from there."

"So this is what being hot feels like." Vanellsa held her hands out. "It's so beautiful." A flame spat and singed her nose. She yelped and backed off, but only slightly. "Don't touch that," she told Ralph.

"Wasn't going to." Ralph shifted himself into a more comfortable sitting position. He wiped his finger on his jacket; it seemed to have stopped bleeding now.

"You took your sweet time kissing her. That's why they sent me up. So, where's the Sorceress?" asked Vanellsa, wiping a bead of water from her forehead. "Did it work?"

Ralph shook his head. "I was wrong about her. She's not my true love. In fact, she's evil."

"Oh, you can't kiss someone who's evil." Vanellsa leaned back against the sofa, head in her hands. "We'll just have to think of some other act of true love." She looked to Ralph. "Any ideas?"

"I can't think straight. Everything's-" He spotted a large chunk of snow plop off Vanellsa's cheek. "Look, you can't stay here. You're melting."

Vanellsa pushed the snow back in place. "Some people are worth melting for."

The sweet moment was rudely interrupted by one of the windows bursting open. Cold wind blew in.

"I got it!" Vanellsa pushed it shut again and stood leaning against it just in case. "Who else do you love?"

"Huh?"

"There's more to love besides romance. It might be love for friends or family as well as a girlfriend or boyfriend. Basically, love is putting someone else's needs before your own, like giving your favourite chocolate bar to your little sister, or letting your best friend win the Random Roster Race."

Ralph blinked. "Where did that come from?"

"I like to consider myself a love expert." She smiled knowingly.

"Listen, we don't have much time. We can't just sit around looking for someone to love when – when-" Ralph scrambled to his feet without finishing his sentence.

"When what?"

"The Sorceress." Ralph's eyes were wild. "She's gonna kill Felix!"

"What? Why?"

"There's no time for 'why!' Only for 'do!'"

Ralph ran and picked up Vanellsa . . .

. . . but something blocked his path to the door. Ice spikes suddenly swept across the walls and the floor, trapping Ralph and Vanellsa in a semicircle around the windows. The door slammed and froze over. The windows were also locked shut by frost.

"We're trapped!" Vanellsa wailed.

"No, we're not." Ralph put Vanellsa down and clenched his fists.

"What are you gonna do?"

"What I always do . . . I'M GONNA WRECK IT!" Ralph bellowed.

With one swing, the glass shattered into millions of tiny pieces. Ralph stepped out onto a thin, thin ledge. Vanellsa followed in awe.

"Are you okay with going down here?" Ralph asked, pointing to a snow-covered slope.

"Well, unless you've got a hovercraft hidden in the fat folds of your neck, we don't have any other choice."

Ralph rolled his eyes. "You're as sassy as Vanellope. Now come on."

He jumped down onto his stomach and began to slide. Vanellsa leapt on his back and held on tight, whooping when they picked up speed. The slope ended with ice curving upwards, propelling Ralph and Vanellsa into the sky.

_Crunch! _

Ralph crash-landed on top of the space pod. For a moment he was stunned, and then he climbed off.

"Are you all right?" Vanellope asked, who had glitched out of the way with Calhoun.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," Ralph insisted.

"Thanks for wrecking our only mode of transport!" Calhoun snapped. "Good job. Very thorough."

Ralph took in the mangled mess. "Whoops." He spun around. "Hey, where's Vanellsa?"

"Up here! I've been impaled."

Sure enough, Vanellsa was dangling in a tall black pike. She pulled herself up and over, and slid down as if it were a fireman's pole. "Did you guys see the Sorceress leave?"

"No, we thought she was with Ralph," Calhoun replied. "Why? What's going on?"

"She didn't kiss Ralph because she's evil and now she's gonna kill Felix!" Vanellsa almost shouted. "Keep up! We have to stop her!"

"And we're gonna have to do it on foot," Calhoun grumbled.

"I don't care how we do it as long as we do it!" said Ralph.

He ran for the exit with one goal.

. . .

If you went to Game Central Station during that storm, you would not be able to navigate, what with the snow in your face and the wind pushing you in all directions. And neither could Ralph. He moved blindly through the blizzard, always looking for Felix.

His fingers were stiff; they were already starting to freeze over. He gritted his teeth. "Not now," he whispered.

Ralph stumbled on, determined not to fail. But it was clear that he was running out of time. He lost most of the colour in his vision, seeing only whites and blues. The ringing in his ears worsened as the wind picked up. The pain in his heart increased until it felt like it was being sliced in half.

He didn't have long left.

"Felix," Ralph called. "Felix!"

. . .

Felix was outside the entrance to _Sugar Rush_. He ran further into the station, but nothing was any clearer. "Ralph?" he yelled. The wind carried his voice away. He wished he could somehow pull himself together, but fear was consuming him. Only finding Ralph would end this.

A dark shadow approached. The Sorceress had caught up.

"Felix," she warned, "you can't run away from the damage you've caused."

Felix faced her. "I know," he said. "I'm sorry." He backed away, scanning the storm. "Ralph!" he yelled again.

"You want Ralph?" the Sorceress sneered. "I've seen him."

Felix gasped. "You have? Where?"

"He came to my game saying you froze his heart."

Felix frowned. When had he . . .? Oh.

"He was weak and cold," the Sorceress continued, taunting him. "His skin was icy. His hair turned white."

Felix turned and took a few steps away. She was lying. She had to be. Ralph was out here. He'd find him any second now.

"Ralph is _dead_ because of you!"

The world stopped. Snowflakes halted in mid-air, trapped by emotion. They couldn't move, and neither could Felix.

. . .

Ralph was still barely able to walk, but at least now he wasn't blind. Sunlight streamed through, illuminating a familiar small figure.

"Felix!" Ralph pressed on.

But behind Felix, a blue-haired woman pulled her trident back, ready to strike.

Using all the strength he had, Ralph charged towards them – and just as the Sorceress was about to stab his brother in the back, he threw himself in front of Felix.

"NO!"

In that instant, something changed inside Ralph. His heart ceased its beating. His chest stiffened, then his stomach, then his legs, then his arms. There was no pain anymore, but Ralph still felt three pokes as the trident hit him. It broke with a cracking sound (although it sounded like it came from another world). The shockwaves sent the Sorceress flying back and knocked her out.

Death came quickly. The last thing Ralph was aware of was a bright white light, and then a feeling of relief that Felix was safe.

And then nothing.


	14. Chapter 14: The Transformation

**Author's Note: Here it is, the last chapter! Thank you all again for your reviews and favourites and follows. I look forward to writing even more stories. Enjoy! :) **

Chapter Fourteen: The Transformation

Vaguely aware of a commotion behind him, Felix turned. Someone nine feet tall stood with his back to Felix.

"Ralph? Is that you?" Felix ran around to the front.

It was Ralph. He stood leaning more on one leg than the other. His fists were clenched, ready for attack. But he didn't respond to Felix at all. His whole body shone in uncountable shades of blue.

"You're can't be. . ."

Felix hopped up and touched Ralph's face. It was angry – scowling eyebrows and bared teeth. The eyes were white instead of brown, marred by the shapes of snowflakes in the iris. It certainly looked like Ralph, but this was not how he was supposed to be.

"No," Felix pleaded. "No, please, no. . ."

Vanellope, Calhoun and Vanellsa approached. Vanellsa reached out for Ralph's leg, but shrank back at the last minute.

All Felix could do was hug his brother and cry.

Vanellope sniffed and wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her coat, glitching as she did so. Calhoun placed a hand on her shoulder, a useless but well-meaning gesture. Vanellsa bowed her head.

Game Central Station was silent except for Felix's weeping.

. . .

Among the never-ending darkness, a ball of fire glowed. It was hot without having the power to burn. It sizzled and spat out sparks, slowly heating his whole body. Senses returned one by one: first the feeling of a warm embrace, then the sound of sobbing, then the sight of a girl's face lighting up.

Ralph moved a hand around Felix.

"Huh?" Felix looked up to a face he knew well.

"Felix," said Ralph. "You're not dead!"

"Neither are you!" There were still tears in Felix's eyes, but born of happiness.

They embraced again, properly, equally, lovingly. Vanellope and Vanellsa rushed to join in, scrabbling up while squealing "Group hug!" Calhoun decided she didn't want to be left out either and put her arms around everyone else. They seemed to stay like this forever.

"You. . ." Felix swallowed as they all broke apart. "You risked your life for me?" he asked Ralph. "Even after I . . . hurt you?"

"Twice."

Felix gasped. "What? Who told you about the first time?"

"I found out by myself." Ralph shrugged. "It doesn't change anything. I still love you."

"Ha ha!" Vanellope cackled. "You love a boy!"

Calhoun hit the back of Vanellope's head. "Don't ruin the moment, _sweetie pie_."

Vanellsa realised something. She lifted her head off her body and exclaimed, "Hey, this must be the act of true love that thaws a frozen heart!"

"Love that thaws?" Felix jumped down, took back his cap from Vanellsa's head, and beamed at Ralph.

"What?"

"That's it." Felix spoke with new understanding. "True love thaws."

Felix lifted his arms, and the ground shook and cracked. Ice and snow broke away and rose high into the air. The coldness left with it, and warmth returned at last.

. . .

Outside, icicles shrank back into nothing. The skin of winter that had wrapped itself around Litwak's Family Fun Centre peeled away. Journalists gasped and cameras flashed. Every flake of snow and shard of ice was drawn into a giant snowflake in the sky, which disappeared in the blink of an eye. Only a cloudless summer day was left behind.

A battered old car pulled up beside the vans of various TV networks. A man with a bright orange tan climbed out. "What's the hubbub?" Mr Litwak asked a female newsreader.

"Sorry, sir, you just missed the show," she said, before hopping into a blue van and driving away.

Mr Litwak peeked inside the arcade; nothing seemed to be out of place. "Back to Brazil, then," he grumbled. He re-entered his car to compete with the news vans for a place in the traffic jam. If he was quick, he might catch the next flight.

. . .

Ralph patted Felix on the back. "I knew you could do it," he said.

Characters from every game rushed into Game Central Station whooping with joy. No-one seemed angry with or scared of Felix anymore. They were just glad to see summer come back.

"This is the best day of my life!" said Vanellsa. A puddle grew on the floor as she started to melt. Her face fell. "And quite possibly my last."

"Vanellsa! Hang on, kid." Felix waved his hand and surrounded Vanellsa with a tunnel of cold air. She refroze.

But more was happening. The whirlwind lifted her up and twirled her around. Tiny lights flickered around her. "What's with all the magic sparkles?!" she exclaimed.

Her body changed. Snow morphed into flesh and code, into fair skin and rosy cheeks. Her ice cream cone shrank to a button nose. Her blue Smarties grew to chibi-style eyes with pale blue irises. Her hair shone silver, decorated with white candies and pulled into a ponytail by a rope of blue liquorice.

As she was lowered again, Vanellsa observed her new appearance and new clothes. A light blue hoodie had formed on her body, along with a royal blue skirt in the style of two Reese's Cup wrappers. Her legs were now seated in mismatched leggings, striped with light blue and white, the left leg accented with dark "double stripes." Her new boots were royal blue with purple frosting squiggles on the soles.

She had become a recolour of Vanellope.

"I'm a real girl," she breathed. "I'm a real girl!" she said again, louder. "I'm-a-real-girl-I'm-a-real-girl-I'm-a-real-girl-I'm-a-real-girl!" She was so excited that she was skipping all over the place. "Now I can enjoy summer, and I can bake a kart, and I can learn to drive, and I can race with Vanellope, and I can-"

She stopped. The Sorceress was trying to stand up.

Calhoun stepped towards the Bad Guy and reached for her gun, but Ralph held a hand up to stop her. "I'll handle this," he declared. He marched over and pulled the Sorceress to her feet.

"Ralph?" she said, her gaze flicking between him and Felix. "This is impossible. He froze your heart."

Ralph grabbed her arm suddenly, forcing her to meet his eyes. "The only frozen heart around here is yours," he spat.

Ralph turned away from her, proud of his words – but not yet satisfied. He spun around and punched her in the face. She was knocked out again.

"You go, guy!" Zangief cheered.

The whole arcade joined in.


	15. Epilogue: New Game

**Author's Note: Just when you thought it was all over, here comes an epilogue! **

Epilogue: New Game

The Pink Lightning hit a ramp and, for a brief second, flew across the Nougat Mines. Taffyta Muttonfudge grabbed an item box as she landed.

"Power Up!" the announcer bellowed.

With a slightly evil smirk on her face, Taffyta pressed the little pink button near her steering wheel. Sprinkle spikes blasted out of the exhaust.

"Uh-oh, I'm getting Taffy-Whacked!"

The racer behind spluttered as sprinkles flew into her face. She brushed herself off – taking her hands off the steering wheel. For a second she lost control of her Ice Dream. It veered dangerously close to the edge of the track. She swerved to the right, only just stopping herself from falling into a bottomless pit.

"Stay sweet!" Taffyta taunted her.

Vanellsa Von Arendelle gritted her teeth and pressed her foot down on the accelerator even more. Another item box was in her sights.

"Power Up!"

Vanellsa grinned. With a few flicks of her finger, four bursts of magic shot out and hit the wheels of the Pink Lightning. They iced over immediately.

"What's this?" the announcer asked. "Freeze!"

The wheels stopped turning. Taffyta screamed as her beloved kart slipped and skidded – and crashed into the wall separating a fork in the road.

"Stay sweet!" Vanellsa mimicked as she overtook Taffyta. She was sure to win now!

But outside, speeding past the Fields of Lollipops, Vanellsa noticed a flickering blue light up ahead. First it was surrounded by ones and zeroes. Then tiny blue pixels appeared. Then larger multi-coloured blocks slotted into place. Finally the Candy Kart was complete – and ahead of Vanellsa.

"Sorry!" Vanellope called back. "Nothing personal, I just wanna win!"

The President and her recolour crossed the finish line in first and second place. They pulled over to one side of the track.

"Great race, Booger-Face," said Vanellsa, climbing out and shaking hands with Vanellope.

"Same here, Chilly Dear," Vanellope replied. "How's your kart?"

The Ice Dream was baked in the same style as Vanellope's Candy Kart and Crumbelina's Tira-Missile. It was dusted all over with snow-white frosting, and butterscotch sauce had been drizzled over the bonnet to make the shape of an intricate snowflake. The spoiler was a long chocolate flake held up by two ice cream cones.

"Sub-zero!" Vanellsa replied with a thumbs-up.

Vanellope giggled. "Is that gonna be your catchphrase or something?"

"Maybe. Do you like it?"

"Yeah! It's _almost_ as awesome as 'Sweet Mother of Monkey Milk!'"

Their banter was interrupted by an alarm: "Red Alert! Red Alert! Mr Litwak is entering the building!"

"What? The arcade doesn't open for hours!" yelped Vanellsa.

Nine avatars rushed to the _Chews Your Racer_ screen and climbed into their squares. Settling into their signature poses, only their eyes moved, following Mr Litwak as he strolled into the arcade. A group of men stood at the door beside a glittering console.

"All right, a new game!" Swizzle said in awe. He was promptly shushed by Adorabeezle.

The console was as wide as _Sugar Rush_. It had two dance mats on the ground and all sorts of buttons and levers below the screen. White letters spelled out the name, "FROZEN ARCADE ADVENTURES," and the caption, "Over 50 chilly mini-games to choose from!"

"It's the next big thing in this arcade," Mr Litwak was saying. "First there was the new ice cream avatar in _Sugar Rush_, then that bonus level in _Fix-It Felix Jr._"

"Makes sense to give the kids what they want, huh?" a ginger man drawled.

Mr Litwak made his way past his video games, which were on their demo screens and behaving normally. He found the power strip. "Darn it!" he cursed. "It's all full up! Like my nana," he added. He paused for thought. "Well, I was gonna unplug it soon anyway. . ."

He bent down. Every character held their breath as he did so, waiting for the sky to darken, for the ground to dissolve into pixels, for the whirlpool of code that would suck them into oblivion –

"Fancy a trade?" Mr Litwak asked, standing up. "You give me _Frozen Arcade Adventures_ and I give you a _Wak-A-Troll_?"

"Yeah, sure, we've got space in the van."

The men didn't say any more for a while because they were busy moving out the _Wak-A-Troll_ and setting down _Frozen Arcade Adventures_ in its place. The new game was plugged in; the old game was taken away, maybe to another arcade. Mr Litwak left, and the characters were alone again.

"Come on, guys!" Vanellope told her fellow racers. "Let's give those newbies a nice, warm welcome!"

. . .

Unlike the other plugs, this one had icicles poking down from the archway to Game Central Station. Four humans, a reindeer and a snowman stood underneath while the Surge Protector bored them with the rules of the arcade.

One character caught Ralph's eye. She had a small nose, blue eyes and pale skin with a light dusting of freckles. She wore her long, platinum blonde hair in a side plait. Her tall, slender body was cloaked in a crystal-blue off-the-shoulder dress with a knee-high slit, a crystallised bodice and translucent powder-blue sleeves.

She was beautiful, and Ralph had to know who she was.

"Say, did you catch the name of that lady over there?" he asked Vanellope.

"Which one? The girl making goo-goo eyes at the reindeer man?"

"No, the other one. The blonde one."

"Oh, she's Elsa, the Snow Queen. Why?" Vanellope nudged him conspiratorially. "Do you _like_ her?"

Ralph hesitated.

"You do, don't you?" She sang, "_Ralph's in love with the Snow Queen, Ralph's in love with the Snow Queen!_"

"Shut up," Ralph hissed. "She'll hear you."

"From all the way over there?" Vanellope started a new rhyme. "_Ralph and Elsa sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!_"

"Vanellope, leave him alone," Felix scolded her.

"Thanks, buddy," said Ralph.

Felix added, "It's hard enough being in love without people teasing you all the time."

"I'm not-"

"Ooh, she's coming over!" Vanellope squealed. "Quick, make sure there's nothing stuck between your teeth!"

"Oh, stop it!" But Ralph still had to ask, "Do I look okay?"

"Your mouth is fine," Felix reassured him, just as Elsa reached the gang. She was even more striking close up.

Without thinking, Ralph found himself bending over until his chest and legs were at right angles. Felix copied him.

"Why are we bowing?" he hissed.

"I don't know," Ralph replied.

They waited.

"This is awkward," Ralph whispered. "When should we stop?"

"You tell me, you started it!"

Luckily Elsa relieved them. "There's really no need to bow before me. Otherwise you'd spend all your time bobbing up and down."

The brothers straightened up a little sheepishly.

After everyone introduced themselves and the concepts of their games, there was a short pause. Vanellope suddenly asked, "So is there a Snow King in _Frozen Arcade Adventures_?"

Elsa blinked, taken aback by the nature of the question. "No, there isn't. I don't have a husband. Or a . . . boyfriend." The word seemed strange coming from her mouth. "Why? Do you?"

"No way!" Vanellope answered immediately. "Boys stink!"

Elsa laughed. "What about you two?"

"Well, Felix is married," Ralph explained, "and I . . . I _used_ to have a girlfriend until she tried to kill my brother."

"Oh dear," was all Elsa could think to say. "You won't like Hans, then."

Ralph followed her gaze to a man with auburn hair trying to approach the Angel Kids. They screamed and ran away. The man's shoulders drooped.

Elsa continued, "He claimed he wanted to marry Anna – that's my sister – for love, but he just wanted to get us out of the way so he could take over the kingdom." Her eyes widened in realisation. "It's amazing how similar our stories are."

"I'll say," Ralph agreed.

The wrecker and the Snow Queen held eye contact for a little while longer.

"Well, the arcade will be opening soon," said Elsa. "I'll see you again later."

It was a promise Ralph really hoped she would keep.

ENDEN*

*_Norwegian for "End," according to Google Translate_


End file.
